Love On A Rotten Day
by Slashapalooza
Summary: Riku thought it sounded so simple. Seduce Sora. Get it on tape. Instant popularity. Of course, some things are easier said than done and Sora wasn't the kind of guy to take that lying down. Pun fully intended.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day  
**  
Author:** Slashapalooza  
**  
Disclaimer:** Me no own. You no sue.  
**  
Rating:** PG-13  
**  
Summary:** Riku is new in town and wants to fit in. He meets the popular group and for initiation, they tell him he has to sleep with Sora and get it on tape so they can show it around school. Riku agrees to seduce the innocent brunet, not expecting the whirlwind romance that comes with it.

**Pairings: **Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud  
**  
Author's Note:** I got this idea from… Somewhere in my mind. There are a couple of people I probably should thank, but I'm too lazy to do it. Also, don't you just love the country I just recently became a citizen of? Give it up for the US of A!  
**  
Category:** Alternate Universe. Romance. Humor. Boys making out. Also, when the time comes, let your dirty minds wander because the lemon is no longer available.  
**  
Spoilers:** Okay, really none since technically this is AU and you guys HAD to have played the game to know who these people are. Unless, like me, you never finished the game but are writing fanfics anyway...  
**  
Feedback:** Would be nice. I'll give you a cookie.  
**  
Setting:** Hell Hole. I mean, high school.  
**  
Date Begun:** October 10, 2004  
**  
Date Posted:** October 10, 2004  
**  
Date Edited:** December 16, 2007  
**  
Chapter 1:** In Which A Challenge Is Given

It was a dark and stormy night and Riku Masaki was absolutely miserable. He hated rain. It always seemed to fall at the most inappropriate times, like when he was outside in skin tight clothes or when something in his life was going horribly, irrevocably wrong.

Today was no different. Riku peered out the window of his mother's little black Acura to see that it was, indeed, raining as they drove over the bridge separating his hometown of Destiny Isles from Radiant Garden. The move had been entirely his Mom's idea and she was eager to start a new life. Riku, on the other hand, was not. He wanted to go back home and do what he was good at: be better at everybody else.

But, nooo, his mother just had to get a job transfer and move him out to the city. Riku was sure this wouldn't be happening if his deadbeat father hadn't taken off for parts unknown three years ago, an equally dark an stormy night. His Dad had pretty much fallen off the face of the earth after that—no divorce papers or alimony papers were forth coming. He'd never find them now…

Riku's eyes narrowed as he saw a figure in the distance. Someone was out in this kind of weather? The streets were practically empty since everyone with sense was either in a car or in their homes, so who was the freak that was… was… dancing?  
_  
Of course,_ Riku thought with a smirk. Some stupid kid was out dancing in the raining. What was this, an old movie re-run? If he rolled down his window, would he hear them singing a cheerful song about how wonderful it was to contract pneumonia by singing in the rain without an umbrella or a raincoat? Was this entire town insane?

As though embarrassed (or psychic), the figure stopped dancing as the car drove passed. A flash of lightning illuminated a pair of captivating blue eyes before the lightning was gone, the car had passed, and the person resumed their dance.

Riku slumped down in his seat again, oddly unsettled. He caught his mother's eye through the rearview mirror and tried not to groan. _Here it comes…  
_

"Now, Riku, honey," said Ayumi Masaki with a note of concern. Riku knew better, though. He could hear the evil in her voice, the words that went unsaid. "I know you're not happy about this move, but—"

"It's fine," he said flatly. By which he really meant, _I will get you for this_.

"Oh, but honey…" she continued, by which she really meant, _You can't do a thing. Surrender now, puny child, for I am all powerful._

"It's alright, Mom." _You just wait until mother's day, bitch._

"If you say so…" _Bring it on._

Riku rolled his eyes and stared resolutely out the window again, wondering how long it'd take them to get to this new house. He started school on Monday and he wasn't looking forward to it. On Destiny Islands, he'd dominated the student body, his exotic looks and charming personality endearing him to upper- and underclassmen alike. Who knew if he'd enjoy those same privileges here? He wasn't sure he could handle fading away into the mainstream. Being The New Kid would give him a certain level of popularity, but how long would it be before he was forgotten? How long before the fickle crowd abandoned him just like his father had?

Absolutely not. He wouldn't stand for it.

Riku swore to himself then and there that he would make a name for himself at his new school. No matter what it took, he _would_ come out on top. Somehow.

* * *

"Achoo!" Sora winkled his little pink nose, groaning from the growing fuzziness in his head. Man, he hated being sick. He closed his locker door, meeting the concerned face of his best friend, Kairi. He immediately looked sheepish. "Uh… hey."

"Sora, you bum! You were out in the rain again, weren't you?" Kairi asked, pressing her forehead against his to check for a fever. Sora shifted uncomfortably and pulled away with a nervous laugh. He thought of denying it, but another sneeze more or less sealed his fate. Kairi raised an eyebrow at him.

"Heh, heh, yeah… I couldn't help it! You know how much I love the rain!"

"Haven't you ever heard of a raincoat? Or an umbrella? Geez, Sora!" Kairi lectured him the entire way down the hallway to their first class, then shook her head and sighed. Just when Sora thought he was in the clear, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh! Did you hear about the new student?"

"New student?"

"Yeah, a guy. A really hot guy. Silky silver hair, intense green eyes, a sexy smirk, and a body to die for!" Kairi swooned. Sora thought she sounded much like the narrator in a romance novel. "Oh, I just want to eat him up!"

"Eww, Kairi. Please keep your sick fantasies to yourself!"

Kairi punched him in the arm. "Hilarious. Seriously, you should do stand up."

The two entered their math class, taking their seats by the window. Kairi, ever the overachiever, immediately began to take out her books while Sora, ever the underachiever, leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling.

They hadn't had a new student in awhile, not since Cloud Strife had come just last year. Sora had tried to make friends with Cloud, but the popular kids had assimilated him within the day and Cloud hadn't looked twice at him since. It was no great loss—Cloud was about as cheerful as fresh road kill and smiled about as often—but Sora couldn't help but wonder if it was worth seeking this new kid out or if he was a high school social climber as well.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice when someone sauntered into the classroom until their teacher, Cid Highwind, announced, "Hey, class, we've got ourselves a new student. State your name and business, pal."

Kairi looked up and Sora stopped goofing off long enough to listen to this. As soon as his eyes landed on the silver-haired boy in the front of the room, they widened. Those were the same green eyes that he'd seen peering out of the car last night, before the lightning had obscured his vision and the car had passed him by.

As if that wasn't enough of a shock, Kairi had been right. He _did _have silky silver hair, intense green eyes, a sexy smirk, and a body to die for. It took all Sora had not to start drooling—at least, he hoped he wasn't drooling.

"I'm Riku Masaki," the boy was saying when Sora stopped eye-raping him long enough to listen. "I'm sixteen years old and just moved here from the islands. That's pretty much it."

"Don't got any interests you wanna share with us?" Cid prompted.

"I didn't have much time to cultivate a life before I got here—unless professional space occupier counts as an interest?"

The class laughed and Riku's smirk widened. Kairi was laughing especially loud, deliberately drawing Riku's attention over to them, and Sora was forced to stare out the window and toy with his pencil to avoid those eyes.

What if Riku recognized him and mentioned his little habit to the class? Sora gave up on trying to make friends with him. Riku was cool, exactly the kind of guy the popular jerks would snatch up like the last cookie at a four year old's birthday party. Riku probably hadn't seen him last night anyway.

Cid snorted. "Whatever you say, kid. Take a seat right back there next to Leon and we'll get started. Leon, raise your hand."

Well, that just confirmed it. Riku was a lost cause. Sora felt a powerful wave of disappointment and wondered why until Riku passed him, his hand brushing Sora's in the lightest of accidental touches, and Sora's cheeks flamed. God, he was easy.

He glanced over at Kairi, who raised her eyebrows as if to say, _Told you so_.

Sora could do nothing more than nod.

* * *

Leon was about as friendly as fresh road kill and he smiled about as often. However, he was wearing leather pants with buckles and more belts than was really necessary, plus a white shirt under a leather jacket, which made him look like the only scholar in a gang of motorcycle-loving high school dropouts.

Riku had enough sense not to say much other than, "Hi," and "Can I look on with you?" Leon also looked like he wasn't a fan of unnecessary conversation.

It wasn't until about half-way through class, when Mr. Highwind had gone to get something from the teacher's lounge, that Leon finally spoke to him.

"Got plans for lunch?"

Riku thought the answer to that was more than a little obvious since this was his first class and Leon was the first person he'd spoken to, but he simply said, "Nope."

"Sit with us."

"Who's 'us'?"

"Cloud, Selphie, Yuffie, Wakka, and Tidus. My friends," Leon said as though it should be obvious. "If they like you, maybe you'll have yourself a permanent seat."

Riku nodded and didn't ask anymore questions. They lapsed into a semi-awkward silence during which Riku glanced around the classroom until his eyes found the redhead who'd laughed like a hyena at his little joke. He hid a smirk. He'd only been up there for two minutes and he'd already garnered an admirer. He was doing better than he had on the Islands.

Next to her, the spiky-haired brunet who'd looked away from him was listening intently to something the redhead was saying with a small smile on his face. He was kind of cute, but he and the redhead were probably a couple or something and he'd probably be pissed when he realized that his girlfriend wanted in Riku's pants.

It had happened.

"Where'd you say you come from again?" asked Leon, almost making Riku jump. It took him a moment to register and then answer the question. "I was born and raised here, so if you need a guide around town…"

"I'm good, thanks," Riku said, digging through his bag for a moment before he found his map. He unfolded it on his desk and showed it to Leon. All the clubs, good restaurants, arcades, and malls were circled. "I hit all these places over the weekend to make sure I wouldn't get lost."

Leon, almost despite himself, seemed impressed. "I'd suggest you put that away. It makes you look like a loser."

Riku grinned at the pause that preceded the insult and put his map back in his bag. Cid returned, putting an end to all conversations, but the silences between him and Leon weren't awkward after that.

* * *

Riku was more than a little nervous as he made his way across the lunchroom, tray in hand. Leon and his friends were sitting at the table by the window, chatting animatedly to one another. He'd been a little late to lunch because his history teacher had decided to give him a general knowledge test to make sure he was in the right class. It had been such a waste of time and Riku officially hated her because of it. Arriving late when going to sit with a crowd of people for the first time was almost as bad as arriving early and twice as awkward.

Predictably, all conversation stopped when he nodded to Leon and took a seat. He kept his face carefully blank as he put ketchup on his fries, waiting for them to make the first move.

"Do… we know you?" the dark-haired girl asked, looking around the table in confusion.

He shrugged. "I'm new. My name's Riku."

"Hi there! I'm Selphie and this is my boyfriend Tidus!" said the other, bouncier brunette, clinging to the dirty-blond boy's arm. "And this is Yuffie and Cloud and Leon and Wakka!"

Tidus blushed and looked over at Leon while discreetly trying to pry Selphie off his arm. "Is he yours?"

"He's cool. Not exactly our kind yet, but cool," Leon's voice was quiet, but everybody somehow heard it anyway.

Riku popped a fry in his mouth, chewed it slowly, then swallowed before he attempted to speak. "So, what does a guy have to do to join your group?"

The other blond boy, Cloud, stopped staring at Leon long enough to answer the question. "We give you a task and you do it. After that, you're in."

"What's the task?"

"Hmm…" the tanned, redheaded boy called Wakka looked around the cafeteria, deep in thought. Suddenly, he smirked. "I got an idea, ya."

He whispered something into Yuffie's ear. She smirked, then spoke softly to Selphie, who giggled and told Tidus, who passed the message on to Cloud with a smirk that seemed far more malicious than the others', and Cloud told Leon. It was just like dominos.

"Okay, kid, here's your job," Leon said after a moment. "There's a boy."

"A… boy?" Riku echoed, losing a bit of his confidence. How had they known he wasn't straight? Or were they just assuming things because he was, after all, prettier than any girl at the table.

"Calm down, kid. I'm not straight and neither is Cloud and Tidus is bisexual. But that's not the point. There's a boy. His name's Sora Harada."

Riku blinked. He didn't remember meeting anybody named 'Sora' all day.

"He's the spiky-haired brunet who was sitting next to the laughing girl in math class." Leon clarified.

"Oh."

"So, Sora. We don't too much like him. Tidus asked him out once and he turned him down, even though the whole school knows he's gay and Tidus is, well, Tidus."

"…uh-huh."

"What we want you to do is… get him to sleep with you," Leon glanced at the others briefly before continuing. "Then get it all on tape so we can show it around the school and take him down once and for all."

Riku's eyes widened. That sounded cruel and, if not illegal, morally reprehensible. Riku himself had no problem being seen naked on tape by tons of people because, hey, he looked pretty damn good naked, but still… they weren't considering Sora's feelings at all. Plus…

"Is he a virgin?"

"Who cares?" Cloud snapped. "Are you going to do it or not? If not, then get up and get lost, newbie."

Riku flinched. There was no way he was going to turn back now. He'd made a promise to himself, hadn't he? If this was what he had to do to get in with the popular crowd, then he would do it.

"I'll have Sora in bed within the month!" he announced arrogantly, finishing his soda and smashing the can in his hand. Selphie clapped and cheered while everyone else looked unimpressed. Riku winked at her, then stood, searching for the cafeteria for his prey. Sora was sitting by the door, talking to the redhead girl again and waving his arms wildly.

Riku smirked. Operation: Sora began at dawn. He had a few stops to make first.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Riku and Sora. I just borrow them to be my muses and force them to make out. As if they mind. Also, the name of Sora's mother comes from uzumakisama, whose stories you should go read!

**Author's Note:** I'm so glad people like this story. Reviews mean quicker updates.

**Date Begun:** October 12, 2004

**Date Posted:** October 12, 2004

**Date Edited:** December 16, 2007

**Chapter 2:** In Which It's Riku Day

_'Welcome to Duloc, such a perfect town. Here we have some rules, let us lay them down. Don't make waves, stay in line. And we'll get along fine. Duloc is a perfect place.' _

Sora rolled over in bed, groaning as he awoke to the sounds of his musical alarm clock. It played a new song every day, each one guaranteed to get stuck in his head or your money back. He'd gotten it as a present from Kairi and, for the past month, he'd gotten such songs as 'I Know A Song That Gets On Everybody's Nerves' stuck in his head without fail. It was a very effective clock.

'Keep your feet off the grass. Shine your shoes, wipe your...' 

"Face," Sora murmured, reluctantly opening his eyes.

_'Duloc is, Duloc is… Duloc is a perfect place!' _

"Sora, honey, you're going to be late for school! And shut off the alarm clock! It's getting on my nerves!" Seiya Harada called good-naturedly from downstairs. Muttering incoherently to himself, Sora rolled out of bed and began pulling on his clothes, his messy hair extra-messy from just waking up.

His room was a mess, he reflected blearily as he found one of his shoes behind his lamp and the other under his desk. He'd clean it and everything, really, but he didn't want to. Sora was of the opinion that his room didn't need cleaning until he couldn't find anything and he found things better when the room was a mess.

With a yawn, he shuffled down the hall to the bathroom, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and attempted to tame his hair. Failing that, he headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Seiya beamed at him, a smile so bright it made him wary. The fact that she was holding something behind her back didn't help.

"Guess what?" she asked, smiling widening.

"Half the town blew up and we're all going to die?"

"No."

"Elvis is alive?"

"Nope."

"You got lucky last night?"

"Sora!"

Shrugging, Sora sat down in front of his bowl of cereal and gave his mother one of the cute, carefree grins he was famous for. "So what then?"

"Somebody's got a lover!" Seiya pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind her back and shoved them under his nose. Sora crossed his eyes to look at the array of flowers, each with a card attached to them and his name written on the cover.

Sora blinked in confusion, taking the flowers from his Mom and reading the cards. "Blue Camellia – You're a flame in my heart. White Camellia – You're adorable, perfected loveliness. Fern – Secret bond of love; Fascination. Gloxinia – Love at first sight. Red Rose – I love you."

His face was, by now, redder than an apple. He set the flowers down on the table and looked shyly at his mother, who was trying unsuccessfully not to crack up.

"Mom, stop laughing at me!" Sora whined, trying to stop blushing. Who could have sent him those flowers? That message? Somebody was in love with him? Sora wasn't really the kind of guy people fell in love with. He was more the kind of guy who watched people fall in love in movies and longed for it, then blushed and sidestepped the issue when it happened in real life. Not that it ever happened in real life.

He pouted thoughtfully. Who could possibly be the one who had sent him the flowers? Who even would? The only people he knew of that had ever been even remotely interested in him that way was Kairi, until he'd told her he was gay, and Tidus, whose reputation had caused Sora to run screaming in the opposite direction. Maybe he was trying again?

"Sora…"

If it was Kairi, what was he supposed to say to her? She knew Sora was way into guys. He'd never really been into girls in the first place. They were too chatty and gossipy and were always talking about boys.

Sure, Sora did the latter a lot, too, but that was completely different. And, sure, Sora hadn't really had a chance to test out his sexuality since he'd declared it, but, again, that was irrelevant. He'd never be interested in Kairi that way.

"Sora."

But why would Tidus try again? He knew Sora had no intention of ever saying yes to him. Tidus hadn't known a thing about him when he'd asked Sora out. He'd only seemed to be asking because everybody knew Sora was gay and who was he to think Sora would be interested just because he was a guy?

Anyway, Sora didn't see the point in dating someone he didn't love and, given Tidus' reputation, it was highly unlikely he was in love with anyway. Tidus was kind of a jerk. And Tidus had a girlfriend that Sora felt very, very sorry for.

"Sora!"

He blinked, staring at Seiya in confusion. She looked very amused. "You're late for school."

"DAMMIT!" Sora shouted, falling off the chair and making the flowers fly everywhere in his rush to get out of the house. It didn't matter. The flowers were probably just a stupid joke that would die when they did. He shouldn't read too much into it. He'd only be disappointed.

"Should I put these in water for you?" his mother asked as he grabbed his coat. Sora turned and took one last look at the flowers.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Yeah, thanks."

And then he was gone.

* * *

_Flowers sent and received,_ Riku thought to himself as he leaned against Sora's locker. He'd had to ask around to find out Sora's address, then look up flower symbolism on the internet, and then choose the right flowers to get his 'feelings' across. He'd belatedly decide to attach a card with the symbolism on each flower. People said that Sora was dense as well as a romantic.

There could be no mistaking what he was trying to get across. He'd bragged a month, but how hard could Sora be to get in the sack? It sounded like getting rid of him afterward would be the problem. His conscience complained at the route his thoughts were taking, but Riku stifled that. He'd had to stifle his conscience forever if he was really going through with this.

He straightened as Sora approached, so lost in thought that he didn't even seem to see Riku standing there. Now that Riku could get a good look at him, Sora really did look adorable. His hair was an endearing mess of spikes, his skin was tanned and looked soft to the touch, and those _eyes_. At least he wouldn't have to close his eyes and pretend he was with someone else.

Shrugging those thoughts away, Riku smirked as he met Sora's now-confused eyes. It was kind of hard not to notice someone standing directly in front of your locker.

"Uh…" Sora said slowly. "Um… hi?"

Riku adopted his 'I'm sexy and seductive and you want to screw me here and now' voice. "Hello. Sora, right?"

The boy in question looked twice as bewildered as before, then frowned. The frown came out as more of a cute pout, however, and Riku had to restrain himself from going 'aww.'

"No."

"No… what?"

"No, I don't want to date you."

Sora reached up a hand to move Riku out of the way, which Riku easily gave in to with a chuckle. The brunet began taking books out of his locker and ignoring Riku (as if that was possible).

"A little overconfident, aren't we?" asked Riku with a sly smirk. "Who said I was going to ask you out?"

Sora blushed, but he didn't say anything in his own defense. Riku watched him with smug interest, catching a flicker of red trapped between Sora's spikes. It took him a moment to identify it.

"Do you know you've got a flower on your head?" He pulled the petal from Sora's hair and held it up to him. Sora looked from the rose petal to Riku and back again, then slowly reached out to take it. Riku made sure their fingers brushed across each other before he let Sora have it.

Sora put the flower in his locker and shut the door, his blush returning as he turned to face Riku. "If you're not going to ask me out, then what do you want?"

"I just wanted to get to know you a little better, that's all," Riku said in what he hoped was an honest voice. "I saw you in Geometry and just couldn't keep my eyes off you. You're very cute, you know."

Sora looked indignant. "Don't call me cute!"

"Why not?"

"Because I hate it."

Sora's voice sounded so vehement that Riku decided to drop it for now. Sora stared at him as if searching for ulterior motives, but Riku's smile had lost some of its smugness and was now simply amused. Hesitantly, Sora smiled back.

"So-_ra_!" Both boys looked up to see Kairi approaching in a flurry of irritation. "I thought we were supposed to walk to school together. I waited at that bus stop for you for hours!"

Sora coughed. "I, uh, I was a little late so I ran to school."

"What made you so late, huh?" Kairi asked, putting her hands on her hips and frowning.

"I… got some flowers from a secret admirer…"

Kairi stared. Then she blinked. Then she broke out laughing. Riku watched Sora bristle until Kairi finally managed to calm herself long enough to ask, "No, seriously, what made you late?"

"What's so funny? I could have a secret admirer if I wanted to!"

"Someone has a crush on cute wittle Sora?"

"Don't call me cute!"

Kairi seemed about to tease him some more when she caught sight of Riku for the first time. "I-I… y-you… er… hi… Riku."

"I'm going to go ahead and guess you two aren't dating," Riku said with a thoughtful frown. "Otherwise, the thought of someone liking Sora wouldn't be so funny. Which, by the way, it isn't."

Kairi turned red, much like Sora had been a few minutes ago. "We're not—I mean, it isn't—let's go Sora!"

She grabbed Sora's arm and dragged the boy away. Sora looked back at Riku with an apologetic smile and Riku shrugged in response. There'd be plenty of opportunities to track down Sora during the day. And finding out that he and Kairi weren't dating was just another load off his conscience.

He waited until the hallway was completely empty before taping a red rose to Sora's locker and heading off to his next class. Phase one was complete. For now.

* * *

"He's good," Leon commented to Cloud as they leaned against the wall opposite the direction Riku had just gone in. The compliment just soured Cloud's mood. He knew how hard it was to get one out of Leon.

"He's lucky. Idiot brunet's taking a liking to him since day one," Cloud grumbled. "I don't know why you invited him to the table in the first place."

"You're just jealous. You want me all to yourself."

"Whatever!"

Cloud wasn't about to admit to Leon that the whole reason he was so against Riku joining their group was because Leon had invited him. Leon hated any and all interaction with other people. It was something he and Cloud had in common. The only other person who'd ever been invited by Leon was Cloud himself. 

He'd been proud of that, seen it as a bond the two of them shared. But not anymore. Not since Riku came to the school.

"He's not going to have too hard a time of this," Leon said, brushing imaginary dirt off his leather jacket. "Might not even take him the whole month."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. _We'll see about that._

* * *

_Riku. Riku, Riku. Ri-hee-ku._

The silver-haired boy refused to get off of Sora's mind. He'd given up on trying to think of something else. Riku was as permanent a fixture in his thoughts as when his next meal was. What was Riku up to? He had to be up to something. Sora had seen him sitting at the popular kids' table. All of them hated him—except maybe Selphie, who didn't hate anyone. If Riku was their friend, shouldn't he hate Sora, too? Or at least be pretending to hate Sora to get in good with his new friends? 

Maybe they'd rejected him? 

Sora brightened at the prospect. Maybe Riku really did want to get to know him better. Sure, he wasn't happy about being the second choice, but, hey, he didn't blame Riku for wanting to be popular. If Sora wasn't so assured that he'd be a loser for the rest of his life, he'd probably try and be popular, too.

Of course, that happy train of that was immediately tempered by another, darker thought. What if Riku had given him the flowers? What if it was Riku who was trying to make Sora fall for him so that he could throw it back in his face?

Not, of course, that Sora was actually going to fall for him. All Riku had done was tease and confuse him. Sora hated to be teased and confused. Besides, Riku totally wasn't his type. Sure, he was gorgeous and had silky silver hair and intense green eyes and a body to die for. But none of those things had any practical use in a relationship.

Plus, Riku had the disturbing side effect of making Sora think like Kairi and that was just unacceptable. 

"Sora, pay attention!" Kairi hissed, poking him in the forehead. "I need your help here."

"Sorry. Just thinking…"

"That's a new thing for you, isn't it?"

Sora pouted at the joke. He had no idea why everybody seemed to think he was dumb. He thought all the time. Sure, it wasn't about stuff like the Pythagorean theorem or Newton's Laws of Motion or whatever, but he had more important things to think about. Like whether or not Riku was trying to pull one over on him.

"Anyway," Kairi continued once she thought she had Sora's attention. "Like I was saying, what are we going to do about the dance?"

The spring dance was in a month or so and Kairi had, against Sora's will, volunteered the two of them to be the official dance committee. Sora hated dances; he always ended up going with Kairi, who'd spend the whole night pouring drinks or talking with her friends or dancing with some boy or another or hanging with Sora out of pity. He never had a good time and because he wasn't having a good time, then he'd rain on her parade. She'd never let him stay home from them, either, which just made dances even less desirable to him. 

He sighed. "Can't we just give everybody a lollipop and tell them to get lost?"

"Um, okay, _no_. We've got to make this dance the best ever." Kairi blushed. "For Riku."

"Riku. Riku, Riku. Ri-hee-ku," Sora murmured, tapping his pen against his notebook. "Why are we centering the dance around him?"

"Because he's sexy."

Sora inwardly agreed, but there was no need for Kairi to know that. "Can you focus for, like, two seconds please?"

"I _am_ focusing, thank you."

Sora rolled his eyes as she wrote Riku at the top of her paper. And he'd thought _he_ was obsessed. Riku seemed like the kind of guy who was well-aware that he had this kind of effect on people. He'd probably be delighted that Kairi was giggling and writing his name in hearts and girly things like that. Watching it just gave Sora another reason why he wasn't into girls: give them a glance and suddenly you're married.

Finally, he reached over, took the notebook, ripped out the page, and tossed it over his shoulder. "We are not holding a Riku Appreciation Dance, Kairi. No way."

"I think that's a great idea," said a familiar voice from behind him. 

Kairi and Sora simultaneously shivered and looked over at Riku as he pulled out a seat, turned it around, and sat on it backwards. Kairi bit her lip and tried to look cute while Sora just pulled it off naturally with the deer-in-headlights look he was wearing. Where had Riku come from? How could they not have heard him coming? Why'd he have to be so—so—Riku!

"Uh. Um. H-Hi, Riku. I wasn't… serious about the… you know…" Sora stammered, looking away. 

"I still think it's a good idea. I mean, who doesn't appreciate me?"

"_Somebody_ needs some antibigheaded lessons." 

Suddenly, warm breath brushed over his ear. Sora's face flamed as Riku whispered, "Are you going to give them to me?"

He was too flustered to even formulate a response. He really hadn't meant for Riku to hear that. And, even if he had, did Riku have to respond like that? He felt like his face was on fire and knew that if he opened his mouth he'd do nothing but squeak. 

"So… what're you two up to?" Riku asked with an innocence that didn't fit his actions.

"We're on the dance committee and we're trying to find an original theme for the spring dance next month," Kairi said shyly, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "Have you, um, got a date yet?"

There was a brief silence during which Sora, his stomach sinking a little, looked to Riku for his response. He knew he should be happy for Kairi—and for himself, since he didn't have to go if she went with someone else—but he didn't want her going with Riku. Maybe he wanted to go with Riku. He didn't, of course, but maybe he did. Or something. His head was hurting way too much to figure out why his throat felt so tight.

"I'm gay," Riku said bluntly. 

A huge weight fell off Sora's shoulders, but the way Kairi's face fell made him feel guilty for being happy. After all, Kairi had liked Riku first. And Sora did not like Riku! 

Kairi's smile didn't reach her eyes when she finally pulled herself together. "Why don't you and Sora go, then?"

Sora swallowed. On the one hand, he thought that was possibly the most brilliant idea ever. But, on the other hand, considering the way he kept jumping from one extreme to the other as far as Riku was concerned, he didn't think it was a good idea for him to agree to go anywhere with Riku until he figured out where his head was at. 

Besides, it was obvious that if he went with Riku, then Kairi would go and watch them and feel sorry for herself because all the guys she ever liked were gay. Sora was too good of a friend to let her be a matyr. 

"That's okay, Kairi," he said quickly. "I promised to take you, remember?"

She immediately picked up on what he was doing and narrowed her eyes. "No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Sora, you didn't."

"Yes, I did!"

They continued to bicker until Sora forgot what they were even arguing about in the first place. He ran his fingers through his hair and stood, frustrated. "Oh, forget it! I'm going to the cafeteria." He grabbed his bag, remembered Riku was there, and glowered. "Don't you follow me!" 

Kairi grabbed her bag as well, equally frustrated. "Nobody wasn't going to follow you!" she snapped, storming out of the library ahead of him. Sora glared at her back, then stormed out after her. She'd gone to the left so he went to the right. He'd apologize later, when they'd both had a chance to cool down. Until then, he pitied anyone who tried to talk to him.

* * *

Riku, in the aftermath of the fight, was sulking. Had they seriously just gotten up and abandoned him? After ignoring him to fight about who _wasn't_ going to the spring dance with him? How did that make any sense? He hadn't even gotten the chance to ask Sora if he'd like to go. The dance may have been a month away, but people were always more likely to get laid at post-dance parties.

With a small sigh, Riku left the empty table and went to go find some other way to occupy his time until study hall was over. A flash of white caught his eye; there was an envelope on the group. He easily assumed it had fallen out of Sora's bag since it had Sora's name on it.

Curious, Riku looked around the mostly empty library to make sure there were no witnesses, then opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. His eyes widened in shock. 

_Sora_, he thought, feeling a wave of guilt. _Oh my god._


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** I am crying a river of tears so I can build a bridge and get over the fact that Riku and Sora aren't mine.

**Author's Note:** Oh Ravyn, you make me blush. Oh, and Riku's Heartless Angel? Riku adores you. He was raving about your review for weeks before Sora got jealous and they locked themselves up in my bedroom, leaving me to sleep in the bathroom. For nine and a half hours. Sora, however, would just like me to tell you one thing: 'I am NOT cute, dammit!' Dark Unicorn Shadow? Riku loves you, too. He requests immediately that you and Riku's Heartless Angel start a Riku Fan club. Now. As in _right now_.

**Date Begun:** October 15, 2004

**Date Posted: **October 31, 2004

**Date Edited:** December 16, 2007

**Chapter 3: **In Which There Are Some Misunderstandings

Sora's family wasn't rich. They weren't exactly poor, but money wasn't something they could just hand out. Riku knew that from asking around and it didn't make him happy, especially after what he'd just read in the letter.

The letter had been on his mind all day, keeping him distracted during his classes, during lunch, so much so that even Leon had asked who shot his dog. Now, he was sitting beneath a tree in the courtyard, the letter in hand as he tried to decide what to do.

Riku and his mother weren't rich, either, but they had enough money left over after taxes to spring for a used car if they wanted to. Sora, apparently, didn't even have enough money to pay his Dad's medical bills.

Riku's eyes scanned the letter again: _Dear Mrs. Harada, We regret to inform you that your husband has fallen into a critical condition that and if it gets worse, we will have to, with your permission, put him on life support. Your medical insurance will no longer cover this. Please send an additional payment of $2500 as soon as possible. We'll see what we can do. _

Riku felt terrible. How could he take advantage of a virgin whose Dad was in the hospital? The last thing Sora needed right now was to be deceived and to be publicly humiliated. And what kind of person would Riku be to do that to him, knowing how emotionally fragile Sora was already? He couldn't… 

"Whatcha got there, kid?" Cloud asked, pulling the letter out of Riku's hands. Riku tried to grab it back, but Cloud had already finished and was looking down at Riku expectantly. "So, what, you're going to back out just because his old man's in the hospital?"

"Did you even read it? It's more serious than that!"

"Like I said, so what? I thought you wanted to be popular. But, fine, be a coward. Back down just because you care about his feelings. None of us do."

"I'm _not_ a coward."

"Sora's Dad's been in the hospital for over a year so that shouldn't even matter anymore. I think if he wanted to have an emotional breakdown over it, he would have done it already."

Riku looked down, scowling. Cloud totally wasn't helping. Plus, he was totally wrong. Riku's Dad had been gone for longer than a year and it still pissed Riku off.

"Look, just seduce the kid, screw his brains out, and get it on tape. It's not that hard. Trust me, you'll win in the end."

That said, Cloud stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled away. Riku's conscience was nagging at him incessantly, but now it was warring with his sense of pride. Cloud had called him a coward. Cloud didn't think he could do it. And Cloud had hit on the root of the problem—Riku _did_ want to be popular. As silly as it sounded when said out loud, he really did want to be popular.

Seducing Sora would get him in and, after that, he wouldn't need to even look at Sora again. Why should he care about Sora's feelings when he'd only have to put up with Sora for a month?

Riku folded the letter and put it back in the envelope, his mind made up. He'd return the letter to Sora, seduce him, get it on tape, and then forget about him. It really wasn't that hard.

* * *

Sora was waiting by the bus stop for Kairi when Cloud approached him. Kairi was in club meetings for about an hour after school and Sora, who had no such school spirit, had gotten tired of waiting in the library for her. He'd dropped by the meeting to tell her he'd meet her at the bus stop and now he was sitting on the bench, trying to figure out who had sent him those flowers.

A tiny part of him, the part that wanted to go to the dance with Riku, was hoping that Riku had been the one to send them. Riku seemed genuinely interested in him and flowers were really romantic, exactly the kind of thing Sora liked. However, that tiny part of him was being silenced by the other, larger part of him that kept insisting he didn't like Riku. An obsession and a crush were two completely different things. Besides, he'd only known Riku for a day, not nearly long enough to develop a crush.

Shaking his head, Sora looked up as a pair of boots entered his vision and he came face-to-face with Cloud Strife. He looked amused. "Sora."

"Hi…" said Sora suspiciously. Why was Cloud talking to him? Cloud didn't talk to anyone but his friends and none of them more than Leon. This had to be some kind of joke. It was one thing for Riku to want to talk to him. Riku was new. Cloud had been popular for long enough to know what talking to Sora would do to his reputation. There had to be someone hiding in a bush with a video camera ready to scream, "GOTCHA!"

"How are you?"

Sora's eyes narrowed at the sorry attempt at small talk. There was definitely something wrong here, but he'd be damned if he was going to bring it up first. He shrugged. "Fine."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"Great."

"Mhmm."

"Listen…" Sora leaned forward on his seat, ready for Cloud to finally get to the point. Cloud paused hesitantly, as though unsure whether or not he should continue, then cleared his throat. "Riku found something of yours today."

"Really? What?"

"A letter…"

Sora's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, his stomach sinking. "A letter?"

"A letter. He wouldn't let me read it, but he read through it and he looked so amused. I figured since he wouldn't tell me, maybe you would." Cloud was starting to sound like he couldn't care less about it anymore, but Sora's heart was pounding. Surely he couldn't mean…? Riku couldn't have—

He quickly dug through his bag and confirmed that, yes, the hospital's letter was gone. But that didn't explain why… "A-Amused?"

"Yeah, like it was really hilarious."

The fear was slowly warmed over by anger. Sora clenched his fist. There was nothing hilarious about that letter. How Riku had even gotten it was—he must have dropped it at some point and Riku thought—

Sora had been feeling guilty about yelling at Riku and Kairi like that, but now he was just infuriated. He and his mother didn't have the kind of money to pay for that sort of thing. They could probably raise something in the hundreds, but the thousands? Everybody knew Sora's family wasn't exactly rich and everybody knew his father was in the hospital, but thinking it was funny…

Riku was such a bastard!

_"I just wanted to get to know you a little better. That's all. I saw you in Geometry and just couldn't keep my eyes off you. You're very cute, you know." _

Lying bastard! When Sora got a hold of him he was going to—to—to do bad things to him! Very bad things! 

Sora was so angry that he didn't noticed when Cloud wandered away with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

**

* * *

**

What it really came down to was a choice. Sure, the choice was a tough one. They always were. And Riku's conflicting emotions weren't helping. He could feel it eating away at him, tearing at his very soul, until he didn't think he could take it anymore. 

Finally, he just closed his eyes and pointed at the basin of chocolate ice cream.

"I'll take two scoops of that, please," Riku said politely to the girl behind the counter. Sora's letter was tucked safely into his pocket and, rather than thinking about that, he'd decided to go out and get himself some ice cream instead. To ensure he wouldn't run into Sora, or, worse, Cloud, he'd gone for the ice cream shop as far away from the school as one could get without leaving Radiant Garden. 

He looked up when his ice cream was handed to him, surprised to see that Kairi was one of the waitresses working there. Wait a minute. Kairi? He raised an eyebrow at her. She was only fifteen. She wasn't allowed to work.

Kairi stared at him in panicked shock before she practically crawled over the counter and clasped a hand over his mouth. "I know what this looks like, but please don't tell anyone how old I am! I need this!"

Riku tried not to snort at how dirty that sounded. He nodded until Kairi relaxed and got off the counter, removing her hand from his face. 

"Ahem," she said with as much dignity as she could. "Thank you for coming, sir."

"Does Sora know about this?"

Kairi lowered her gaze. "I can't tell him. I need the money for him and his—his family."

"How long have you been working here?"

"I just started today."

Riku nodded as he put two and two together. The letter had fallen from Kairi's bag, not Sora's. She'd gotten a job to help Sora raised the $2500 and didn't want Sora to know because then he'd know she'd read his mail. Riku considered sharing his suspicions with her, but then she'd know that he had Sora's letter and he wasn't prepared to deal with the backlash from that just yet.

"That's really noble of you," he said at last. "Our little secret, then."

She smiled. "Yes! Now get out of here before I have you arrested for loitering."

"I'll take you down with me for visual molestation."

Riku headed out of the store, licking his ice cream cone with a little smirk, leaving a red-faced Kairi in his wake. He'd forgotten to factor Kairi into this equation. Sora may never want to look him in the face again after the tape got out, but Kairi seemed like she'd be very violent on his behalf. Was being popular really worth the emotional turmoil that both of them would suffer? 

_Surely, Sora will get over it. I mean, if it was me, I'd never recover from having someone as sexy as myself do me the honor of sleeping with me just so he could show it all over the school. Well, okay, maybe I wouldn't mind that part so much, but—argh!_

Fed up with his thoughts, Riku tossed his ice cream into the nearest trash bin and started heading for the park, his hands jammed in his pockets. To his surprise, Sora was sitting on the bench there, head down and bangs cover his eyes. 

"Ah… Sora?" Riku asked tentatively. Sora seemed like he wanted to be alone although, even in misery, he was still as adorable as ever. Sora slowly lifted his head and he stared Riku straight in the eye, his eyes flashing with so much anger and humiliation that Riku took a surprised step backwards. "Sora?"

"You!" Sora launched at him and proceeded to try and beat the crap out of him. "How dare you!"

Riku blocked every one of Sora's attacks, flipping them over and pinning the boy's flailing limbs to the ground. "Sora! What the hell has gotten into you? Stop that! You might hit me in the _face_!"

"You deserve that and every other thing you _get_, you dirty, stupid… evil… person!"

"Right. What exactly did I do again?"

"Give me my letter now!" Sora demanded, struggling until Riku's grip. "Give me my letter and get out of my face! You think that's funny? There's nothing funny about it! Just because my Dad's in _critical condition_ doesn't mean you can laugh! He could _die_! Is that funny to you, you heartless—mmph!"

Since Riku's hand prevented Sora from saying anymore, he glowered intensely. Riku gave him a cool look. "Sora, what the hell are you talking about?"

The glower intensified.

"I don't know why you think I found your letter to be funny, but you're wrong. That was the last thing I thought when I read it—which I'm sorry about, by the way, but I didn't know what it was before I opened it."

"Mmph mm mph mmph mm mhmm!"

Riku sighed. "Actually, it made me feel pretty bad. My old man abandoned me years ago and I thought _I_ had it bad, but you…"

Sora was still glowering at him. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know you probably don't want my pity, but, hey, I'm extending the hand of friendship here. Accept it." When Sora showed no signs of doing anything but glaring at him, Riku smiled. "You look even cuter when you do that." 

Sora deflated like a balloon, his eyes getting watery as he looked away. Throat tight, Riku removed his hand from Sora's mouth. "I'm sorry. I'll try to stop calling you cute."

"That's not what I want," Sora said softly. 

"Then what do you want?"

The glower returned. "I want to kill you and drag your lifeless body where no one will find it. And I want you to get off me. _Please_."

Riku laughed and did as he was told, helping Sora up and pulling the letter out of his pocket. "I think this belongs to you." 

Sora snatched the letter out of his hand as though convinced Riku was going to play keep-away with it, sticking it in his bag. Riku placed his arms behind his head and stared up at the sky, half-expecting rain. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"None of your business."

"Ever think of actually asking someone for help?"

"Leave me alone."

"Are you always this stubborn?"

Riku sighed and looked at Sora helplessly in the silence that followed. Sora obviously wanted him to leave, but Riku had been hoping to at least get to talk about the letter. It'd be a lot easier to get a sap like Sora into bed if Sora felt like they could talk. Like friends or something. 

"Look," Sora said at last. "Just forget about it, okay? Thanks for returning my letter before someone else found it, but I can handle this myself. I'm fine. And if you tell anybody, I'll kill you and _then_ drag your lifeless corpse where no one can find it."

"I'll remember that."

"Later." Sora began walking away. Riku watched him leaving, hoping that Sora would look back, but he didn't. He felt like he needed to say something else, anything else. Something sentimental and lasting that would make Sora _want_ to look back. He _had_ to look back.

The farther Sora got without glancing behind him, the worse Riku felt. He wanted to be remembered and wanted. How Sora could stand to ignore him so easily when every fiber of Riku's body was screaming for anything other than that was beyond him. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Sora!" He called out. Sora stopped and looked back, which made Riku so happy that he forgot what he was going to say. Instead, he smirked. "You have a really sexy ass."

Sora's face turned a deep, deep shade of red. "Pervert!"

Riku couldn't help but laugh as Sora pouted cutely and started storming out of the park with his hands behind him to cover his butt. He liked seeing Sora blush. And seeing him pout and smile and laugh and try to glare. It was amusing. Sora was so open with his emotions—though perhaps not with his words—that it was refreshing. Especially to someone like Riku who spent most of his life bottling them up.

Riku turned and started walking in the opposite direction, feeling much happier than he had in awhile. That had been some _good_ ice cream. The ice cream. Right. 

* * *

Sora quietly pushed open the door to his house, hoping that his mother wasn't home so that he could safely dispose of the letter without her knowledge. This wasn't the first letter Sora had gotten from the hospital. His mother hadn't seen the last one because he'd been hiding them. Sora knew everyone thought he was naïve but he could see things.

Things like the fact that Seiya worked part-time at a daycare center and at the local grocery shop _and_ as a nightshift nurse just to pay for the hospital bills, the house bills, Sora's school fee, and anything else Sora might need. Sora never asked for anything, but his mother had always liked to shower him with gifts.

She always tried to love him as much as his father would, had he been conscious. 

It hurt Sora to have to do anything that would hurt his mother who already worked so hard for him. He'd spent many, many days agonizing over it, but Kairi had been the one who'd pulled him out of a month long depression and convinced him that all he could do was be his usual happy self and his mother would be happy, too.

So Sora did. No matter what, he was always happy or goofy or doing something to put a smile on someone else's face. Sora was hardly ever sad. He couldn't afford to be sad.

Then stupid Riku had to go and read his letter and see him being so dejected in the park. Sora felt horrible for attacking Riku and saying the things he had, but he'd just been so angry. Angry that Riku had found out his most shameful secret so quickly. Angry that Riku had seen him sad. Angry that Riku had _been there_. He wouldn't have blamed Riku if he had been laughing. Sora's life was pretty pathetic.

Sora heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen and plastered a grin on his face as he walked in and hugged his mother around the waist. "I'm hungry!"

"I ordered out. Look, there's pizza on the table for you," said Seiya, laughing and ruffling his messy hair. Sora pouted both at her words and at her actions.

"Why'd you order out? You could have had me cook!"

"Yes, but it's been awhile since we ordered out and I had some extra money so I just figured—"

"Alright," Sora caved before his mother started rambling for an hour and a half. He grabbed a slice of pizza and ate in large bites. "'anks mm!"

Seiya laughed again. "Anything happen at school today?"

Sora swallowed his pizza and shook his head.

"Nothing? Not even anything with," she pretended to be sleeping, snoring in between every word. "Ri… ku… rikurikuriku… Ri-hee-ku…"

"Mom!"

"What? I was just asking a question."

"I didn't say anything about Riku in my sleep last night! How do you even know about him?"

"I'm a mother. It's my job to know. Plus, you _so_ did."

Sora's cheeks were on fire again. "I didn't even like Riku! He's so… Riku-ish!"

"Uh huh. I _always_ say the names of people I hate in my sleep."

"I'm going to my room!"

Seiya's laughter followed him up the stairs and, as soon as he was out of eyesight, Sora couldn't help but smile. Bad financial situation or no bad financial situation, his mother had always been more like his best friend than his mother and Sora was thankful for it.

He reached his room and got out a match, burning the letter and blowing the ashes out the window. 

Well, there was no other option now. Sora may have been the laziest person ever, but if he had to get a job to save his mother from overworking herself then he would. He briefly considered telling Kairi and asking for her help, but he didn't want to put her to that kind of trouble. She worried about them enough.

It was all up to Sora. It wasn't that hard to lie on a job application. He'd get a job and raise enough money to help his father. Then, hopefully, his father would get better and get released from the hospital and all would be right with the world again.

"Okay," Sora murmured, bracing himself. "A job it is."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Love On A Rotten Day

**Author: **Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sora and Riku. I just control them. Dance, my puppets, dance!

**Author's Note:** Quit stalking me, Nis-chan. Oh, and Sora Jr? Sora is extremely insulted. He says he's not speaking to you until you give him candy. Lots of candy. In fact, Sora dislikes the following people: Koharu-chan (Where's HIS cookie?), Insanehikari, SeekingRedemption, Alexandra Halliwell and ElegantArrow64 (He is NOT cute).

Riku loves all of you, especially you, Riku's Heartless Angel. He sends you autographed pictures of him. He also feels it is worth mentioning that he's getting some action next chapter, though not the kind he's looking forward to.

Also, the first chapter beta'd by Starberrie! Everybody must give thanks to her in their reviews, or I won't love you anymore.

**Date Begun: **December 2, 2004

**Date Posted: **December 3, 2004

**Date Edited:** December 16, 2007

**Chapter 4: **In Which Sora Gets A Job

Over a week had gone by without Sora so much as glancing in Riku's direction and Riku was very, very bored. Sure, Riku hung out with Sora and Kairi as often as possible—except during lunch, when he sat with his actual friends—but Sora seemed determined not to speak to him. He'd even stopped waiting for Kairi after school because he knew that meant he'd be alone with Riku for an hour.

Which meant that Riku ended up taking the bus with Kairi to her house, waiting for her to change, and then taking another bus over to her job at the ice cream shop. Since today was Saturday, he'd just met her there. He sighed, licking the strawberry ice cream off the top of his cone and watching Kairi clean tables.

If he'd been even remotely interested in girls, he might have gone after her what with her bending over the table with her ass in the air like that…

"Stop staring at my ass, Riku. I thought you were interested in Sora?"

Riku blinked, coming out of his daydream that Sora was the one leaning over at the table and looking over at the girl who was raising an eyebrow at him.

"Don't worry. I have no interest in you whatsoever," he said sweetly.

She blinked. "Good. I think…"

Riku chuckled, finishing off his free ice cream (Kairi wasn't the only waitress enamored with him) and hopping off the stool. "Speaking of which, where is Sora anyway?"

Kairi suddenly looked about as innocent as a toddler with a .45. "I have no idea. At home? The park? School?"

"On a Saturday?"

"It's possible…" She was cleaning the table so hard Riku half-expected her to rub a hole straight through it. Some people made it so obvious when they were lying.

"Kairi, where's Sora?"

"I don't know. Really. Go ask somebody else. Go ask his Mom or something!" She threw a rag at him and practically shoved him out the door. Riku was staring at the window of the ice cream parlor for a good two minutes before he realized what had just happened.

Well. That was almost as good as an invitation from Sora. Uh-huh. Riku went to work on his ice cream as he headed down the street, a happy tune on his lips. He'd been meaning to visit Mrs. Harada anyway.

* * *

A coffee house. A damn coffee house. Over-caffeinated teenagers and adults rushing in and out with their liquid energy. Sora was well-acquainted with coffeehouses, but he'd never hated them as much as he did when he got a job at one.

People spilled their coffee every five seconds, idiots found it fun to patronize the workers, and other people stood there for twenty minutes or more trying to decide what to buy only to decide they didn't want anything at all.

It was only his first day and Sora was ready to crawl under his bed and never leave his room again for as long as he lived. But he couldn't. His father's live was depending on him. If he quit now, then he might as well admit to his mother that he'd been stealing her mail. Then he might as well commit _hara-kiri_ because she'd do it for him if he didn't.

That in mind, he clenched his teeth and looked at the smirking imbecile standing in front of him. Tidus and his gang had come in for coffee then, as soon as they'd spotted Sora, had stayed to give him a hard time. Tidus looked back at one of his friends, then smirked at Sora, who was trying really hard not to punch him in the face. He might hurt his hand.

"So… this is a coffeehouse, right?"

Sora sighed. "Yes, _sir_."

"What do you sell here?"

_Hippos on tricycles, you idiot. _"Coffee, sir."

"What kind of coffee?"

"Edible coffee, sir."

"Edible? Really? You mean I can drink this coffee and not die?"

"Look," Sora snapped, reaching his limit. "The coffee won't kill you, but I might if you don't stop acting like an ass and get out of my face!"

Tidus just laugh, infuriating him even more. "Sora, Sora, Sora, that's not store policy. Should I talk to your manager?"

The anger was instantly replaced by panic. He couldn't afford to get fired on his first day! He needed this job! He'd already felt guilty enough writing that he was sixteen on the job application. He wasn't sure he could do it on another one.

Tidus seemed to read this on his face because his smirk widened. "So, how's Riku?"

"How should I know?" Sora asked in a tensely polite voice. "What do I look like? His boyfriend?"

"You two would make a good couple. And he likes you, you know. Always 'Sora this' and 'Sora that.'"

Sora rolled his eyes. He knew better than to believe it coming from Tidus. Tidus never said anything that wouldn't benefit himself in some way.

"I'm serious," Tidus insisted. "You're always blowing him off, though. Haven't you ever wondered what it'd be like to kiss him?"

"No."

"Not even once?"

"Nope."

"You're lying."

The fact that Tidus could see through him that easily made Sora worried. If Tidus could see how he might feel about Riku, who knew what Riku saw when he looked at him? Just another reason to avoid him…

"Since you were so rude to me, I think you owe me one for not telling your manager."

Somehow, Sora had known this was coming. He groaned. "How much?"

"Oh, not money," Tidus said with a sly smile. "This is as much for you as it is for me. I just think you should satisfy your curiosity and give Riku a kiss. Today."

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not gonna—" Sora gasped as Tidus tapped one of his co-workers on the shoulder to ask for the manager. Sora had to tackle the girl to keep her from answering. "Okay, okay!"

Tidus smirked and walked off, the girl slapped Sora and called him a pervert, and Sora really just wanted to go home.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home," Sora called as he entered the house. He was absolutely exhausted. Tidus and his friends had hung around all day, making a mess and specifically requesting that he come clean it up. 

Thankfully, Tidus had made no attempt to talk to him for the rest of the day although that gave Sora way too much time to contemplate his little challenge. Would Tidus really bother with telling his boss if he didn't kiss Riku? What did Tidus care anyway? Sure, Sora was curious, but if he wanted to kiss Riku, then he didn't need to be dared to do it. He had a backbone and everything.

He sighed again, putting away his coat and taking off his shoes. Seiya hadn't answered him, but there was a light on in the kitchen. Sora walked in, his eyes widening when they saw that it was empty except for Riku. He gaped.

"Hey," Riku said, leaning against the counter and looking gorgeous. As usual. "Where've you been?"

"What are you doing in my house?"

"Riku, I got the cookies for… Sora!" Seiya said as she came in holding a plate of cookies and a large photo album. "You're just in time. I found your album."

"Mom! No! Not the album! Anything but the album!" Sora cried as his mother set down the cookies and flipped open the album. Riku was at her side in seconds, peering down at the pictures, and Sora wondered what he'd done to deserve this.

"Awww," Riku cooed. "Look at wittle baby Sora sticking his bottom up in the air like that."

Seiya took a seat and a cookie, gesturing for Riku to do the same. Riku sat to her left and Sora to her right, glaring at Riku suspiciously. What was Riku even doing in his house? How had Riku even known where he lived? Since when were Riku and his mother such good friends? What was going _on_ here?

"So… Riku… Sora has told me so much about you. Mostly in his sleep," Seiya said sweetly. Sora groaned and hid his face in his hands. Riku chuckled. "When do you plan on sleeping with him?"

"Next weekend," Riku answered promptly. Sora glared at him through the cracks between his fingers.

His mother was unperturbed. "So, I should be out of the house, then, yes?"

"Yeah, unless you want to listen to the moans, groans, and banging of the headboard."

"Hm. I'll go to Hana's. We'll have a bridge night."

"Good plan."

Sora stared at them both for a moment, waiting for someone to deliver the punchline, but they were both looking quite pleased with themselves. He slammed his hands against the table and stood. "Excuse me? Bad plan! Unless Riku plans on doing himself, then he's not doing anything next weekend. I'm not sleeping with him!"

"Oh, of course you are," Seiya said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Look at him. He's yummy."

"You're not so bad yourself, Mrs. Harada."

"Call me, Seiya, dear."

"I'll be upstairs," said Sora tersely. He grabbed a handful of cookies and ran up the stairs to his room. "Even my own mother's on his side! Geez!"

"Then maybe it's time you joined the dark side, hm?" said a voice from behind him. Riku had managed to sneak up on him yet again. Sora dropped his cookies in surprise as Riku entered the room and closed the door. "Did we make you mad?"

"I'm not having sex with you!"

"You know you want me. I mean, who doesn't."

"Me."

"That's what your mind says, but your libido begs you to jump me."

Sora rolled his eyes and turned to go and sit on his bed. Riku retired to the beanbag chair in the corner. Sora briefly scanned the floor for the cookies he'd dropped, but they must have rolled under the clothes because he could no longer see them.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Nice room."

At first Sora thought he was being sarcastic, but then he realized that Riku was looking at the window seat and the skyline painted across the walls. He smiled softly.

"My Dad renovated it a few months before he got sick…"

Riku was silent for a few minutes. "I could help you out, you know."

"Who said I wanted your help? I don't need you for anything and I haven't got anything to give you in return so, either way, you're screwed."

"_Why_ are you so defensive?"

"I'm not defensive!"

"Are you hiding something?"

"No!"

"I think you are."

"And I think you should leave!"

"What are you hiding, Sora?"

"It's none of your business!" Sora cried, his hands gripping a pillow that he pitched at Riku's head. "Leave me alone!"

Riku caught the pillow, which only further pissed him off. "So… there _is_ something."

"Didn't I just tell you to leave me alone?"

"You did, but you didn't mean it."

Sora threw himself down on the bed, watching Riku through narrowed eyes. Riku seemed genuinely concerned about him and Sora's throat was tight with unshed tears and unspoken words. Could he trust Riku? Really trust him? He barely even knew him! He had no idea whether or not Riku could keep a secret and, really, why should he tell some guy he'd just met a week ago anything about himself?

He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't like to think about it. I don't want to talk about it. I just want you to leave me alone and stop asking about my Dad."

He heard some shuffling and then warm fingertips were brushing against his face. He opened his eyes to see Riku carefully brushing away his tears. Sora's breath caught.

"Will you at least tell me why your Dad's in the hospital?"

Sora didn't trust himself to speak and so he simply shook his head and pulled his face away from Riku's hands. He rolled over until his back was to Riku, then closed his eyes, half-hoping Riku would stay. And yet he knew if Riku tried to push him, Sora would just get violent again.

"Alright," Riku said, voice resigned. "See you around, Sora."

He waited until he heard Riku's footsteps fade down the stairs before he curled into a little ball and started to cry.

* * *

_"Dad?" thirteen-year-old Sora said with a huge grin as he looked over at his father. Sakata Harada looked back at Sora inquisitively as he directed the trucks in the construction yard. They were building what was going to become a new apartment complex, one of which the Harada family would move into with the money from the job. "I'm gonna be thirteen and a half soon!" _

Sakata laughed at the pride in Sora's voice. "Good for you, son. Thirteen and still cute as a button."

"Da-ad! Boys aren't supposed to be cute! It's not manly!" protested Sora with a wrinkle to his nose. Unbeknownst to him, this made him look even more cute, but his Dad had the good sense not to point that out. "I'm going back to the car!"

Sakata nodded, returning to directing the trucks. Sora waited until his back was turned, then ran over a mound of dirt in the opposite direction from where the car was parked.

His Dad had told him not to go exploring, but he was thirteen years old. He knew better than to go wandering around the actual construction site. He'd just sit on top of one of the giant dirt mounds and watch, is all. He'd probably even reach the car before his Dad noticed him gone.

What harm could it possibly do to look around just a little bit?

A flash of silver. A scream—no, two. His stomach lurched and he fell into a black abyss, slamming face-first into the ground. 

* * *

Sora awoke with a jolt, his forehead cold and clammy. He'd cried himself to sleep, but fresh tears were waiting to fall. He felt drained, but wide-awake. Something in his dream had scared him, caused him to cry, but the details of the dream were slipping away too quickly for him to remember.

He sat up in bed and tried to calm down as his eyes roamed around the dark bedroom. They paused briefly on the beanbag. Riku had been sitting in it just a few hours ago, trying to talk to him, trying to help.

What had Sora done but chew him out and yell at him for no good reason? If Tidus was right, and Riku did like him, then he certainly had no reason to anymore.

Sora glanced at the clock. It was only eleven o'clock and yet it felt like an entire lifetime had passed. He felt like an entirely different person, but that could have been because he was too tired to be himself.

Sora got out of bed and walked down the hallway to his mother's room where Seiya was awake and reading a book. She didn't look the slightest bit surprised to see him.

"Are you okay, Sora?" she asked as the light illuminated the tears on his face. He wiped them away and nodded.

"Can you give me Riku's number, please?" his voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat and repeated the question.

Seiya was warily amused. "Why do you assume I have it?" She laughed at the look Sora shot her. "You're right, I do. But I don't give it to you."

"Why not?"

"Because such an asinine display as the one you pulled this afternoon deserves a face-to-face apology. Go drop by his house."

"It's almost midnight!"

"I'm sure he won't mind."

"I don't even know where it—"

"Five blocks down. Big blue thing. You can't miss it."

Sora stared at her helplessly, but he could tell his mother wasn't going to budge on this. He sighed and went back to his room, pulling on his sneakers. He grabbed his coat out of the downstairs hall closet, then headed out into the cool night to see Riku. His mother was right.

Somehow, he _knew_ Riku wouldn't mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Riku. Or Sora. I am, however, a card carrying member of the Unofficial Riku Fanclub.

**Author's Note: **Thank Kari for the superbness of the kiss scene in this chapter! And the soonness of this update. She makes sure I get off my lazy bum and writes. You must all go read her stories today. You must all adore her promptly. Another HUGE thanks to Starberrie for beta-ing, since we all know (Wait, no you don't) That I am a crappy speller. Especially on the internet.

**Date Begun:** December 7, 2004

**Date Posted: **December 10, 2004

**Date Edited:** December 27, 2007

**Chapter 5:** In Which Riku Almost Gets What He Wants

Sora tried not to hyperventilate as he stood on Riku's front porch, his hand poised to knock. He'd walked much slower than really necessary to get to Riku's house which, just like his mother had said, was a big, blue thing five blocks down from his. Now that he was here, he wanted to go back home. Riku probably didn't want to see him after the way he'd been acting, anyway, and the butterflies in Sora's stomach told him that he was apprehensive, at best, about seeing Riku. Maybe the best thing to do would be to just turn around and—

Try not to scream when the door suddenly swings open.

Sora swallowed hard as Riku raised an eyebrow at him, then stared at the ground, unable to meet Riku's eyes.

"Sora…?" Riku sounded puzzled, but not displeased. Still, Sora couldn't get any words out. A warm hand held his chin and pushed his face up until he was meeting Riku's gaze and trying to remember how to breathe. Riku was staring at him in a way that made warmth pool in Sora's stomach and his breath hitch. But then Sora blinked and the look was gone, replaced by a lazy smirk. "Just couldn't wait until next weekend, could you?"

Sora smacked Riku's hand away and blushed. "I'm not here to sleep with you!"

"That's what you say," Riku laughed quietly and leaned against the doorpost. "Did you want something? I mean, besides me."

The discomfort returned and Sora had to try very, very hard not to stare at the ground again and not answer the question. He'd been here for far too long already and the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could go home and hide under his covers.

"I'msorryforblowingupatyoulikethatIwasbeingarealjerk," he said so quickly even he didn't understand a word.

"Um. What?"

"I _said_… I'm sorry for… blowing up at you like that and… I was being a real jerk and… anyway, I'm sorry."

Sora bit the inside of his cheek to keep from ruining his apology with an insult about what a stupid jerk Riku was for making him say it twice. He half-expected Riku to pretend he hadn't heard him, just to hear it another time, but instead Riku smiled and grabbed his wrist.

"Come on, Sora," he said warmly. "Let's talk inside."

* * *

"I take it back," Leon commented idly as Cloud flipped through the TV channels trying unsuccessfully to find something good to watch on a Saturday night. "It doesn't look like Riku's doing so well with Sora."

Leon had thought it was a sure thing, had half-expected Sora's virginity to be a distant dream by now, but Sora hadn't so much as looked at Riku in a week. Obviously Riku had messed up somehow, but hell if Leon knew or cared why. It was more out of a concern for Tidus that he even still kept tabs on this thing. With every day that went by, Tidus got more and more irritable waiting for that tape. He was scarily obsessed.

"Why're you always talking about that stupid newbie?" Cloud growled, bringing Leon's attention back to him. "Why'd you invite him in the first place?"

"I felt like it. Stop being a bastard and relax. Riku's cool."

"He's cocky."

"So were you when you first joined up."

"Whatever."

Cloud pushed the buttons on the remote with a particular visciousness and Leon didn't know whether to be amused, flattered, or annoyed. He wasn't a complete retard; he knew Cloud wanted in his too-tight pants. Hell, if he wasn't mistaken, Cloud had wanted him for a very long time. Leon was willing to admit that he was extremely fond of Cloud, though not out loud, but sometimes Cloud's vindictive, bitchy attitude just got on his nerves. As if Leon was fickle enough to switch gears for some effeminate albino boy from the Islands.

"It kind of sounds to me like you're jealous," Leon said, unable to resist teasing Cloud a little. He raised an eyebrow when Cloud didn't answer. "I'm right, then."

"Aren't you always?" Cloud stood, tossing the remote back on the couch. "I'm going home. Tell Aerith I said hi."

Leon considered saying something to get him to stay—he really enjoyed Cloud's company, when he wasn't being an ass—but nothing short of a love declaration would get Cloud to stay now. And, quite frankly, that wasn't Leon's style.

He shrugged. "Alright. See you tomorrow."

Cloud waved distractedly then left with his hands deep in his pockets. Leon shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch and closed his eyes. They could sort things out some other time. Right now, all he wanted was a nap.

* * *

Sora fiddled with the zipper on his jacket as he sat on Riku's bed and waited for Riku to come up with some snacks. He had no idea how Riku had managed to lure him up to his bedroom. Sora vaguely remembered Riku grabbing his wrist and that his immediate urge had been to pull away and run. Then Riku's hand had slipped into his and their fingers had intertwined almost involuntarily and then Riku had let go of his hand and asked Sora if he was hungry.

He was _so_ easy.

The butterflies were still flying around his stomach and only seemed to have gotten worse. He was alone in a house with a hormonal teenager who was so determined to get into Sora's pants that he'd _asked Sora's mother for permission _and had absolutely no idea why Riku wanted to get into his pants in the first place. Yeah, Sora was cute and he was kind of aware of that, but, really, there were plenty of cute boys at school. Or, if Riku just wanted a hot piece of ass, then Leon was totally still single because Cloud couldn't make the first move to save his life.

Why Sora? Why did he want Sora so bad? And why, if Sora knew Riku wanted him so bad, was he still sitting on Riku's bed?

Sora sighed, stood, and began to pace back and forth as he listened to Riku clanging the dishes together downstairs. On the one hand, he could climb out the window and run before he got raped. And it would definitely be rape because he definitely didn't want to sleep with Riku no matter how sexy he was. Definitely.

But, on the other hand…

"Satisfy your curiosity and give Riku a kiss."

On the other hand, he could kiss Riku quickly and leave so he could keep his job and get it over with. He wasn't entirely sure Tidus was serious about the kissing thing (and anyway how would he know if Sora did or not?) but wasn't it better to be safe than sorry? And, yeah, he was kind of curious as to what Riku would taste like. Well! Not _taste_ like, exactly, but.

But Sora smelled cookies and cookies always outweighed the other choices.

He headed downstairs to the kitchen only to find Riku pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven. "You baked cookies just for me?"

"Getting a little conceited, aren't we? I found them in the oven, you goof," Riku laughed, carefully transferring the cookies from the tray to a plate and setting them on the table to cool. He smacked Sora's hand away when Sora tried to take one. "Let them cool down or you'll hurt yourself."

Sora pouted, taking a seat and tracing idle patterns on the table top. He turned the full effect of his puppy dog eyes on Riku, but the insensitive jerk just laughed again and shook his head. Seeing he wasn't going to get his way, Sora stopped pouting and watched the cookies with all the intent of Sylvester stalking Tweety. "Are they cool yet?"

"Not yet, Sora."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"Oh," Sora paused for a good four seconds. "…now?"

"No, goofball!" Riku said good-naturedly, reaching over to ruffle Sora's already messy hair. Sora ducked his head and laughed, the thought of getting cookies putting him in a very good mood. He grinned up at Riku as Riku dropped his hand, pushing a wayward spike away from his forehead. "You really are a goof."

"Thanks," said Sora with pride. "You're pretty goofy yourself."

Riku reached past him and grabbed a cookie then handed it to Sora who happily started munching away. Sora finished it and was starting on his second when Riku took the seat next to him and asked in a suspiciously fond voice, "You have a really big sweet tooth, don't you?"

"Yep. The source of all happiness is sugar."

"I don't remember that particular philosophy."

Sora chewed thoughtfully, trying to think of a way to convince Riku to come to the cookie side, then swallowed and decided it didn't really matter. "Thanks for the cookies, Riku," he said with genuine happiness. "You don't suck as much as I thought."

Riku chuckled. "Thanks. Gonna tell me why you actually stayed? You didn't have to."

At the reminder, Sora nearly choked on what was left of his cookie. Thankfully, he managed to get it down before Riku really noticed and then, with nothing to occupy his hands or mouth, he began to fidget.

He could feel Riku's expectation, could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and felt like he was going to explode if he didn't do something now. He turned, grabbed Riku's face, and pulled him down into an awkward kiss. Their lips slid together the wrong way and Sora got a bit of cheek before his burst of courage ran out and he capsized his chair trying to get away.

"S-Sorry, I just—" he stammered, unable to think of a better excuse than _Tidus made me do it_. Riku was staring at him in such abject shock that Sora felt hot with humiliation. "I-I wasn't—"

"Sora," Riku's voice sounded rough. It sent a shiver down Sora's spine. "You—"

Riku got to his feet with far more grace than Sora had, backing him against the counter. Before Sora could get a word in edgewise, Riku was kissing him fiercely. Sora struggled, wriggling and squirming to get from between Riku and the counter, but it was like some kind of dam had broken. Riku's hands were in his hair and they were flush up against each other and Sora's chest felt like it was going to burst.

He let out a surprised gasp when Riku's tongue brushed across his lower lip and that was all the opportunity Riku needed to press Sora even further against the table and slip his tongue into Sora's mouth. Sora whimpered, his eyes slipping shut of their own volition, his hands clenching and unclenching around the fabric of Riku's shirt. He should push him away. He should stop this. He shouldn't be pressing closer and wanting more and feeling like he was falling deeper and deeper into something he wasn't ready for.

It was just… Riku was a really, really good kisser! Sora could barely remember his own _name_ anymore.

Riku only gave him a momentary reprieve for breathing before he was back again, this time coaxing Sora's tongue into action. Hesitantly, as Sora hadn't exactly done this before, he let his tongue brush across Riku's and blushed at the groan the simple action evoked. Maybe he wasn't the only one that was easy.

Riku's hands slid dangerously downwards until he had a firm grip on Sora's butt which he used to hoist Sora up and onto the counter, his hands running under Sora's shirt.

"Riku?"

The voice was like a bucket of cold water being dumped over Sora's head. He went to push Riku away, but Riku had already backed up and they simultaneously looked to see Riku's mother in the doorway. Riku's mother was just as beautiful as her son, with crow's feet about her eyes and smile lines about her mouth. Like her son, her hair was silver and her eyes were green and, currently, wide with shock.

Riku laughed sheepishly. "Mom, Sora. Sora, meet my mom."

Sora couldn't think of a worse way to meet someone's mom. He turned beet red, straightening his shirt and trying to look a little less like he'd just let Riku molest him because he, apparently, had no shame or self-control. Riku's mom had to think he was some kind of whore. Sora would have, in her place.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Riku's Mom, but we were—and he was—the cookies and—oh _god_." Sora hid his face in his hands and wished he could disappear.

When Riku laughed again, it was more amused than sheepish. "Calm down, Sora. It's just my mother."

"I resent that comment. What do you mean _just_ your mother," Riku's mother asked. Sora peeked at her through his fingers, but she no longer looked outrageously shocked. In fact, she looked amused. "You did this on purpose. Trying to give me a heart attack to get back at me for the move?"

"Oh, no, dearest mother. I put arsenics in your teapot."

"I knew there was a reason I felt like putting tea in your thermos this morning…"

Riku gasped dramatically, putting a hand to his heart. "Argh! You've killed me! Remember me as I was—"

"Young, cocky, and stupid?"

Puzzled, Sora removed his hands from his face entirely and looked between the two of them. Where was the embarrassment? Where was the shock? Should Riku's mother be ordering him out of the house and telling him to never come back and act like a Slutty McSluttiness in her kitchen again? What was with the witty banter?

Riku's mother laughed, startling him out of his thoughts. She was right in front of him now. When had that happened? "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Sora," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Ayumi Masaki, mother of that imp over there."

It was a little hard to stay indignant in the face of that. He beamed. "Sora Harada, victim of said demon over there."

"Oh, yes, I could see that. It's lucky I arrived when I did or else your precious virtue would be a distant memory."

"Exactly!" Sora said with wide eyes. Finally, someone was sympathetic to his cause. "You will not believe what he actually came over to my house and did today—"

"Mom, don't you have, like, reports to file or something? Somewhere else?" Riku asked quickly, watching Sora in a way he wasn't entirely sure he liked.

Riku's mother winked. "Try not to behave too badly. I'll be right upstairs where I can hear you, you know."

Sora mumbled something incoherent in reply. Okay, maybe not totally on his side, then. Riku waited until his mother's footsteps had faded up the stairs before casually approaching the counter again.

"My mom and your mom would get along well," he commented, inching closer.

Sora swallowed and jumped off the counter before Riku got any ideas. "I'm going home."

"Going to run away again?" Riku's hand had his again. The grip was loose enough that Sora could get away, but he didn't try. He couldn't, not with Riku's face so close that he could count each individual eyelash. "Don't you want this?"

"I don't even know what 'this' is," Sora said, but didn't move. "L-Leave me alone."

"Okay."

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Riku did the opposite and kissed him again.

* * *

Kairi was exhausted when she finally hung up her hat and closed up the ice cream parlor. Who the hell wanted ice cream so late at night, anyway, and who the hell invented staying open twenty-four hours a day? She was just lucky she hadn't worked in the always open parlors or she'd be seriously ready to kill someone. Didn't they know that girls needed their beauty sleep?

Kairi sighed, knowing she was just irritable because she was tired. She was doing this for Sora, she kept reminding herself. Sure, she wasn't getting paid enough to make a real difference yet, but every bit helped. She'd just give the money to Seiya and admit that she'd intercepted the letter—once she found it that was—and then the Haradas would be good for awhile. She wouldn't be a good friend if she didn't at least try to help.

Even if Sora had helped himself to her potential boyfriend.

"No," Kairi muttered, appalled at the direction her thoughts were taking. That was not fair to Sora. Riku had been gay long before he'd met her or Sora, probably. All the hot ones were. Sora, Riku, Cloud, Leon, Tidus… well, okay, Tidus was bisexual, but he was also an ass. Besides, he was taken and, when he'd been single, he'd been after Sora, so she had no chance there anyway.

In any case, she needed to catch a bus home before her parents called up Sora's house and realized she wasn't there. She turned and slammed into Yuffie and Wakka, who looked as surprised to see her as she was to see them.

"Um," she said when neither of them said anything. "I can explain what I'm doing here."

Yuffie folded her arms. "Oh, I can't _wait_ to hear this."

Kairi's mouth worked soundlessly, trying to come up with something. Anything. She was abducted by aliens and just got back. She had been hypnotized. She'd been kidnapped and locked in the ice cream parlor's basement. _Anything_. It was the perfect time for her brain to fail her. She ducked her head, trying not to cry at what she knew was coming.

"Please, don't tell anyone…"

"And what d'we get for keeping quiet?" Wakka asked. "We don't do this kind of thing for nothin', ya."

"Yeah!" Yuffie giggled. "I mean, Kairi. I had no idea you were the type to lie and cheat an ice cream parlor out of its money. That's a crime."

Kairi reluctantly lifted her head, looking from one maliciously amused face to another. "I don't have any money. I mean, I do—or, will come pay day—but I need that money for—"

"Sora? No shit." Yuffie raised one dark eyebrow. "Does he know about this?"

Kairi swallowed and didn't answer.

"This'll cost extra, ya."

"I think I know exactly what to do with you. Meet us in the parking lot before school on Monday. That's when you'll get your assignment, _slave_."

Kairi gaped at her. Yuffie couldn't be serious. Hadn't slavery gone out of fashion when _morals_ had come into play? Did Yuffie really think she had nothing better to do than to follow her every order like a lapdog? Kairi _had_ a backbone and a life, for goodness sake! She wasn't about to—

"If you don't show," Wakka said, pulling his cellphone from his pocket and snapping a picture. "We'll be showing this to Sora. It's all up t'you."

Kairi ducked her head again. Apparently, she _was_ about to. "I'll be there."

Seiya carefully examined all the evidence. Sora had returned to the house almost two hours later than when he'd left it. His shirt was on backwards. His hair was visible mussed (a feat in itself) and his cheeks were flushed. It wasn't too hard to figure out that her son had been deflowered at some point in the last two hours, though why he decided to come home afterwards was beyond her.

"Sora," she said, closing the door behind him. "Congratulations! You've lost your virginity at long last. I knew it'd only be a matter of time before Riku managed to tear through your defenses, but—" she paused at the look on Sora's face, somewhere between humiliation, indignation, and incredulousness. "Oh, come on. What else could have possibly happened?"

"I was molested and you're happy about it? Mom!"

"It's not molestation if you're an active participant Sora. Plus, your shirt's on backwards."

"Riku took it off! He distracted me with—well, with things—and then he took my shirt off and wouldn't give it back until I—"

Seiya covered her ears. "Sora, _ew_. You're my _son_. I have _limits_!"

Sora threw his hands up in frustration and stomped up the stairs to his room. Moments later, his room door slammed shut.

Seiya chuckled quietly to herself, leaning against the door with a smile. Sora was being way too defensive to be taken seriously. It was obvious he felt something for Riku and Seiya, quite frankly, was happy for him. Sora had never shown such an interest in anyone before. There was a time when she'd hoped that he and Kairi would shack up, but Sora's sudden discovery of his true sexuality had nipped that in the bud. And while she was disappointed that she'd never have any grandchildren to torment, at least she'd never have to worry that Sora would get somebody knocked up.

Besides, Riku seemed like a good kid. He, like her, enjoyed teasing Sora and there was a certain fondness in his eyes when he talked about Sora that spoke of deeper feelings. Whether he realized it or not, he could love Sora. All Seiya wanted was for Sora to love and be loved in return. Sora had been hiding deep within himself ever since his father had been hospitalized and Riku was just the person to get Sora to come out.

Seiya paused. "Get Sora to come out. Ha!" she snorted. "Too late for that."

Riku reclined on his bed, immensely satisfied with himself. He'd gotten to kiss Sora. _Finally_. Sora was obviously inexperienced, but what he lacked in proficiency he made up for in enthusiasm. Every little touch made Sora moan and writhe and _react_ like never before. And every sound of Sora's just made Riku want to do more with him. _To_ him.

All in all, a job well done.

He had no idea what had made Sora decide to kiss him so spontaneously, but he wasn't complaining. He'd spent all week dying to get closer to Sora and the gap between them had been bridged in the course of a single visit. Plus, Sora had met his mother and she obviously approved if the way she'd cranked the stereo to tune them out and flooded the kitchens with the sounds of _Let's Get It On_ was any indication.

He couldn't say he disagreed. Task aside, Sora was exactly the kind of guy Riku had always wanted to date. Cute, innocent, sweet, but with a little spunk to keep him on his toes. Sure, Sora was overly defensive, easily upset, and extremely hostile, but even those were becoming endearing qualities. Riku felt like he could spend all day watching Sora and never learn enough to be satisfied. He was just so _alive_.

Of course, it wasn't like he had a crush on Sora or anything. That'd be a little ridiculous considering he was going to publicly humiliate him. He doubted Sora would want to date him once this was all over with.

Still, he couldn't deny that there was something there. Something in the way Sora smiled and tasted and felt had Riku hooked. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough. After all, Sora had added this new level to their relationship and Riku couldn't wait to take advantage of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** If I could just have Riku and Sora pop out of a present for me on Christmas Eve, then I'll never ask for another thing again. Except maybe a yacht. And Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the gameboy advanced. And a gameboy advanced…

**Warnings:** Riku says there's too much talking in this chapter. Sora says there's too much kissing in this chapter. You decide.

**Date Begun:** December 13, 2004

**Date Posted: **December 25, 2004

**Date Edited:** December 28, 2007

**Chapter 5:** In Which There's Tons Of Coffee

Kairi berated herself over and over as she took the early bus to school to meet Yuffie and Wakka. Why hadn't she been more careful? What had Yuffie and Wakka been doing that far away from their homes on a Saturday night anyway? _Why hadn't she been more careful?_

At the very least, she should have had a cover story ready. Perhaps something about how she was just closing up for a friend who worked there or something. Sure, they could probably guess she had no other friends besides Sora, but Kairi's grades in English were proof that she was pretty good at coming up with bullshit.

Except, apparently, when it mattered.

The bus stopped a block away from the school and Kairi trudged off as though she were being led to the guillotine. She wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't prefer that, actually. She dragged her feet as she walked, kicking pebbles and stray soda cans, wondering if Sora would want to know why she hadn't been able to meet up with him before school, wondering what she was going to tell him if he did. She couldn't tell him that Yuffie and Wakka were blackmailing her because he wasn't supposed to know she was working. She couldn't just lie to his face either, though. She and Sora kept no secrets and they never lied to one another.

Kairi kicked a pebble particularly hard. She was so screwed.

There was a lone car in the student parking lot when she walked up, a classic thunderbird that made her all kinds of jealous. Thankfully, only a few weeks separated her from the driving freedom of sixteen, but there was no chance her parents would get her a car, let alone a thunderbird.

Sitting in the driver's seat was Leon, the seat tilted back and a pair of sunglasses on his nose. He appeared to be asleep. In the passenger seat, cradling a Styrofoam cup of coffee and looking more grumpy than usual, was Cloud. Sitting up on the back were Tidus and Wakka with Selphie in between them, dozing on Tidus' shoulder. Yuffie was leaning against the backseat door and she smirked as Kairi approached.

Steeling herself, Kairi met Yuffie's gaze dead on and folded her arms. "So, what do you want then?"

"Ooh," Yuffie cooed merrily. Obviously, she was a morning person. "That's quite an attitude you've got there for someone whose being blackmailed."

Cloud reached over and shook Leon awake while Tidus slid off the back of the car, causing Selphie to nearly tumble off with him. She snapped awake, took a moment to assess the situation, then called Tidus a variety of dirty names and returned to sleep on Wakka's shoulder instead.

Kairi watched Tidus warily as he stepped between her and Yuffie, sizing her up with a calculating stare. The longer he stared at her, the more nervous she got. The ground was like a magnet for her eyes.

"Huh," she heard him say as she studied his Adidas. "Cloud, is that good coffee?"

Cloud, who seemed surprised to be addressed, shrugged. "It's alright. Could use some more cream."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Coffeehouse a few blocks up."

"I think I'd like some," Kairi met Tidus' gaze at last, horrified at what he was going to say before he even said it. "Kairi, go get us all some coffee. I hope you have a pen and paper because we're sort of particular."

He raised an eyebrow at her as though daring her to argue. Kairi managed a feeble, "But I'll be late for school…"

"Sucks," Tidus hopped back up on the back of the t-bird, gently waking up his girlfriend. "Hey, you want a bagel? Egg and cheese, right? I think they have hash browns, too."

"Gonna cut 'em in the shape of a heart again?" Selphie murmured sleepily, apparently having forgiven him for her near-fall.

Tidus glanced over his shoulder at Kairi. "You heard the girl. Cut them in the shape of a heart."

Kairi stared blankly as Leon pushed the sunglasses up onto his head and leaned over, removing a drop of coffee from the corner of Cloud's mouth with his tongue. He licked his lips, indifferent to Cloud's astonishment, and said, "I'll have what he's having."

Yuffie did a backflip and landed expertly in the backseat of the car. "I want a bagel. Nothing fancy."

"I'll take a Red Bull if they have it, ya," Wakka piped up.

Cloud, clutching his Styrofoam cup a little more tightly, looked away. "I'm good. And it's a caramel mocha latte, in case you were wondering, Red."

"Red," Tidus said delightfully. "I like that. I want a chai tea latte, Red. And be quick about it. Just because you're late for class doesn't mean I want to be."

Kairi looked at them all with such loathing it felt as though if she stared long enough they would burst into flames. If only she could be so lucky. Fists clenched at her side, she whirled around and stormed out of the parking lot to the soundtrack of their laughter. Cloud hadn't even told her which direction the stupid coffeehouse was in. She supposed they expected her to walk a few blocks in one direction and then go the other way if she didn't come across it.

_Those bastards,_ she thought furiously. _I hate them all._

* * *

The caution with which Sora made his way down the hallway would have put James Bond to shame. He felt really jumpy after certain events on Saturday. In fact, he'd had nightmares of Riku crawling through his window and jumping him while he was trying to sleep. Well, maybe nightmare was the wrong word. But Sora still woke up sweaty and gasping, which couldn't be good.

In any case, his game plan was to avoid Riku for as long as humanly possible because he was almost sure that Riku had no inhibitions about jumping him in public and Sora didn't need the whole school knowing that he was Riku's new plaything. Even if he was a good kisser. And tasted amazing. And _was_ amazing.

No. Not in the middle of the hallway. Not where people could _see_—! Just because Riku had no shame didn't mean Sora had to follow in his example.

Besides, Sora hadn't enjoyed himself all _that_ much. The hickies that dotted his collarbone were a source of shame, not some trophy to be paraded around. He probably should have stopped Riku when his lips had moved from Sora's to nip at Sora's neck, but it had, admittedly, felt very good and he'd been just a wee bit distracted by Riku's roaming hands and the warmth that had flooded his body and made it too hard to breathe…

Sora shook his head. No! That was just his body talking. Just because he liked Riku's kisses didn't mean he liked Riku. Riku was obnoxious and a total jerk. Just because he had something to be obnoxious about was no reason for Sora to lose his resolve to have as little to do with Riku as possible.

He sighed and rested his head against Kairi's locker. She hadn't met him at the bus stop, had called the house to tell him she was going to school early for some kind of meeting. Kairi was involved in too many clubs for Sora to keep track of but any club that had you at school before school had even started sounded like hell to Sora. In retrospect, he should have brought her some discount coffee.

He lifted his head and shifted to his locker, turning the combination lock with care. He was so intent on what he was doing that he didn't notice Riku sneaking up on him until warm breath brushed his ear and an even warmer voice purred, "Hey, Sora."

Sora flipped around and stared wide-eyed at the bane of his existence. Riku looked ruffled, as if he'd just rolled out of bed, but he was working it. Sora was overcome with a sudden, unwelcome urge to lick him and swallowed. His heart pounded in his ears as Riku put one hand on either side of his head, successfully trapping Sora between the lockers and Riku's body. That was _so_ not helping.

"H-Hey, Riku…" he said nervously, trying to stomp down that urge. Riku leaned in until their faces were so close their breath was mingling and Sora had to turn his face away to hide his blush.

"I missed you."

Sora didn't know whether to faint from shock or embarrassment. How could Riku just come out and _say_ things like that? Like it was nothing? "Um… can you, um, let me go? Please?"

"Maybe later," Riku said easily, making a shiver run down Sora's spine. He clenched his eyes shut, afraid to move or breathe for fear his body would betray him and he'd start kissing Riku right then and there. Mercifully, the students that had been lingering in the hall when he'd arrived seemed to be gone. Although, come to think of it, that probably meant they were late for—

Riku's tongue traced the outline of Sora's ear and Sora's brain sputtered and died.

"Riku…" he breathed, sliding down the lockers a bit as his knees gave out under him. Riku's arms came down to wrap firmly around his waist, keeping him upright and pressed up against him. Sora felt another shiver wrack his body, watching in rapt fascination as Riku licked his lips and then leaned closer and closer until the bell rang and Sora shoved him off. "We're late for class!"

Sora heard Riku fall to the floor behind him, but he was too busy getting his things from his locker to actually care. He couldn't believe he'd let Riku distract him so much! How was he supposed to explain that to his homeroom teacher? 'Sorry I was late, but I was too busy letting my not-boyfriend molest me up against my locker against my will'?

He pushed his books into his bag, slung it onto his shoulder, then turned to see Riku blinking up at him from the floor. "You're going to be late, too, if you don't hurry up."

Riku seemed too dazed to respond.

Sora shook his head and dashed off down the hallway. Riku was just too weird for his own good.

* * *

Riku had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted Sora. At least, that's what his nether regions were telling him. He had no idea how Sora could get him from zero to raging with a kiss that hadn't even happened, but it had taken him an additional five minutes in the hallway thinking about naked girls to get himself back under some semblance of control.

Still, that was only control over his body. His mind was telling him to find some way to get Sora between himself and a surface with good leverage. Like, _now_.

He scratched his nails across the tabletop in frustration. Across the room, Sora was balancing a pencil on his nose. How he could look adorable and ravishing at the same time was beyond Riku, but it wasn't helping anything at all. He should have gotten in Sora's pants a _week ago_. Now this whole thing was getting to be like an itch he couldn't scratch. Maybe Sora would like to scratch it _for_ him…

The scent of coffee wafted up to his nose and he glanced beside him to see Leon slipping into his seat with a Styrofoam cup in hand. Leon blew on it, then sipped it gingerly, paying absolutely no attention to the fact that Mr. Highwind had stopped lecturing about biology to lecture about how scalding hot to lukewarm beverages weren't appropriate for class.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "You went to get coffee?"

"Something like that," Leon said with a hint of a smile. "Forgot all about you, though, sorry. You should have been there."

Riku was about to ask where when he caught sight of Sora again. Sora was staring out the window and sucking on the end of his pen. Riku groaned, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Sora sliding that pen in and out of his little pink mouth.

Sora sensed that he was being watched and locked eyes with Riku, pausing mid-suck. He glanced down curiously, then back at Riku again. Seconds later, he was blushing and pulling the pen out of his mouth. Which was all fine and dandy, but now Riku's hormones wanted Sora more than ever.

Leon chuckled. "Are you always this much of a slut or is Sora just special?"

Sora was doodling something on a piece of paper and his little pink tongue was peeking out of the side of his slightly parted lips. Riku couldn't _take_ it anymore. He stood up, nearly knocking his chair over in the process.

"Mr. Highwind, may I please take Sora to the nurse's office?"

Cid huffed, looking annoyed at being interrupted twice in a row. "He doesn't look sick to me."

"Well, he is. Very sick. Extremely sick. It's a new type of the disease that you need to nip in the bud before it manifests and becomes contagious. I'm not kidding."

Someone coughed weakly. It took Riku a moment to realize that it was Sora and, when he did, he felt gratified.

"Get outta my classroom before you get us all sick, Harada. And Masaki, I expect you back here in no less than ten minutes, you got that?"

Riku didn't waste time with an affirmative. He stormed across the room, grabbed Sora's wrist, and manhandled him out of the classroom. As soon as the door slammed shut, Sora's back was up against a locker.

"So—" Sora managed before Riku attacked. It was a very long time before either of them were able to say anything at all.

* * *

Kairi couldn't believe the woman in the front office had actually believed her when she'd gotten to school over a half an hour late with a tray of coffee and two bagels and claimed they were for a teachers meeting. The teachers weren't even having a meeting and Kairi had stuttered her way through the explanation. The woman was just so nice, though, and Kairi felt bad lying to her, especially since she'd winked and excused Kairi's tardiness without question. When Teacher Appreciation Week rolled around, she was totally getting that woman something huge and expensive.

Tidus had rapped her lightly on the forehead for being so late with the coffee, but at least some of his friends had had the decency to say thank you before shuffling off to class. Selphie, for one, and Leon had muttered something that might have been "thank you" or "go die". Kairi wanted to think it was the former.

Still, she'd missed Biology with Sora and so hadn't seen him all morning. That just made her mood all the worse. Even if she couldn't tell him all the details, she needed to talk to her best friend and have Sora smile at her and make everything better like he always did. She needed to talk to someone who didn't want something from her. That'd be a nice change.

She sighed as she waited outside the cafeteria for Tidus and his friends. Yuffie had told her that they might need her to run some errands for them during the lunch period and Leon and Cloud had gone off to find Riku, which left Kairi with nothing to do but wait and feel sorry for herself.

At least, until she heard the moans.

Around the corner, someone was moaning and laughing breathlessly. Someone else, or maybe the same person, whispered something she couldn't make out and then the moaning began again. Curious, but wary, Kairi went to take a look. Her eyes widened.

Riku had Sora pinned up against a locker and was practically devouring him in a kiss. They seemed totally oblivious to her presence and Kairi was trying hard to forget that she could only see two hands: Sora's.

Incidentally, it was Sora that spotted her first. His eyes widened as well and then he shoved Riku back onto his ass and made a futile attempt to look like they _hadn't_ been macking on each other in a school hallway.

"Uh, hey, Kairi!" Sora said with a sheepish smile. "Um, where have you been?"

Sora was obviously sidestepping the issue at hand, which gave Kairi plenty of opportunity to do some sidestepping herself. She feigned surprise. "Since when are you and—"

"I can't help it that I'm so irresistible," said Riku, standing and brushing off his clothes. He seemed to have regained his composure. He, at least, looked half-way presentable. Kairi wondered if that was genetic or if he was just born lucky.

"Shut up, jerk," Sora snapped before turning concerned eyes on Kairi. "Where have you been anyway? You said you were going to school early, but then you weren't in homeroom or Biology. Plus, I haven't spoken to you since, like, Saturday."

"Saturday," Riku said with a devilish grin. "Sora came over to my house and—"

"Shut _up_, Riku!"

"What were you doing at Riku's house, Sora-poo?" Kairi asked, happy for any opportunity not to explain herself. Sora flushed and mumbled incoherently. She could barely suppress a giggle. "What's this? Sora is incapable of speech?"

Riku beamed. "See what I do to people?"

The glare Sora shot Riku would have fooled anybody but the two people present to witness it. Behind the irritation, Kairi could see something that looked a lot like affection. Sora was sporting a crush on Riku. It was adorable. When she didn't have to watch, of course.

She opened her mouth to tease him about that, too, but then Leon rounded the corner with the whole crowd in tow. For one wild moment, Kairi considered hiding in one of the lockers, but, for one thing, she didn't have the combinations and, for another, they'd already seen her. Oh, and she wouldn't fit.

"Riku," Cloud said with a frown, although that was his typical expression. "You're making us late for lunch. What were you doing?"

"Teaching Sora why lockers make good leverage."

Kairi expected some sort of indignant retort from Sora but he seemed as incapable of speech as she was. In fact, he seemed as though he'd rather be anywhere but there. He lifted his head to look at Riku and the expression on his face was so sad it made her heart ache. She lifted a hand to console him, then stopped halfway. Now wasn't the time.

"Didn't we tell you to wait by the cafeteria?" Wakka asked, folding his arms. "Who gave you permission to move?"

Kairi turned away from Sora's questioning glance. "I-I was waiting, but then I remembered that… that, um…" Something. Anything. Aha! "Sora and I have to work on our plans for the dance. Don't we, Sora?"

"Um, actually—"

"Of course we do. So, um, unless you want a crappy dance, we should go do that. Right, Sora?"

This time she gave him a look that told him very plainly not to argue.

Sora scratched the back of his head and turned his smile on the group of kids in front of them. "Right. See you guys later."

Kairi gratefully grabbed his arm and put on her brightest smile until Wakka shrugged and Cloud rolled his eyes.

"I'm still hungry."

Riku smirked, leaning over and pressing a lingering kiss to Sora's cheek. "We'll continue where we left off later."

"There's nothing to continue!" Sora snapped with an edge to his voice that hadn't been there before. "Stop molesting me!"

"You seem to enjoy it," said Kairi and Riku in unison. They exchanged glances and laughed. Rather than dignify that with a response, Sora dragged her down the hallway and away from all of them. Kairi watched Riku watch Sora's ass until they turned a corner and then she began to match Sora's pace.

They stopped outside the library. Sora immediately headed inside and it was only when Kairi had pulled out her notebook that he finally asked the question that must have been burning in his mind.

"Alright, Kairi, what's going on? I didn't know you were friends with those guys. I mean, it's okay if you want to be, but you could have at least have told me or something. Were you half-skipping school with them this morning?"

"How do you half-skip school?"

"Kairi."

She fiddled with her notebook, trying to come up with a better excuse than the one he'd given her, but, for the moment, it suited her needs. The thought of being friends with any of them made her a little nauseous, but for now…

"Y-Yeah," she paused, then pressed on. "I thought it'd make you mad. Since, um, they don't really… really like you."

Sora was staring at her and, for a moment, Kairi cursed her stupid habit of stuttering when she lied. He was going to call her out on it. He was going to be pissed. He was going—to grin at her.

"Of course I'm not mad, silly! I was just worried, that's all."

Kairi sagged with relief and guilt. "I'm fine. It's fine."

"Cool," he grabbed a pencil from his bag and tapped a nonsensical beat on the table. "So, since you wanted to get away so badly, how about we do some actual work on the dance—"

A loud rumble from the direction of his stomach cut him off.

Kairi giggled. "After you eat."

* * *

Riku loved taco day. The cafeteria didn't make half-bad tacos and he was starving. He needed to replace all the calories he'd burned off trying to help Sora find his tonsils. A small smile found his lips as he thought of Sora, though he kept his thoughts strictly G-rated. Anything more than that would have him dumping his friends to go hunt down Sora and press him up against a table.

Okay, that wasn't very G-rated, but Riku's mind wasn't very pristine.

Leon's shoulder knocked into his and Riku looked up to see the pride in Leon's eyes. "You've gotten farther with Sora in a week than Tidus has in _ever_."

The boy in question choked on his taco. "Asshole."

Selphie, in the middle of a self-help book, absently clapped him on the back and murmured something about properly chewing his food. Tidus awkwardly swallowed the bits of taco in his mouth, then winced and rubbed his shoulder blade. Selphie either didn't notice or didn't care.

"More importantly," Leon continued as though the whole thing had never happened. "How far have you gotten?"

Riku lifted the kid-friendly block on his thoughts. "Upper body groping? Something like that. How much time do I have left?"

"Well, we'd like to set this up before the spring dance," Yuffie said, stealing a spoonful of pudding from Wakka's tray. "Which gives you back the week you lost and then some."

"I'm thinking we play it on the television in whatever classroom they choose as the coat room," Tidus said speculatively. "I could probably set that up myself."

Cloud and Wakka gave their input and how and when it should happen while Riku fought the rise of something like guilt in his stomach.

"You're not having second thoughts or something, are you?" Leon asked low enough for no one else at the table to overhear. Riku glanced at him in surprise, but that small bubble of hope burst at the indifference that radiated off Leon in waves. He shook his head and went back to his food. "Good. I don't think Tidus would take too kindly to you backing out now."

"If the two of you are done with your private conversation," Cloud interrupted, acid in his tone. "Maybe you'd like to help with the actual plan?"

Riku could recognize jealousy when he saw it, but he had no idea what Cloud was so jealous about. Riku would sooner date an electric eel in a bathtub than he would Leon. He wasn't sure who it was Cloud had a crush on, but he hoped it was him if only because Leon didn't seem like a very love-friendly kind of guy. Then again, he hardly knew Leon. Or Cloud for that matter.

"We're done," Leon said evenly, though the corners of his mouth were curved up. "What's the plan?"

* * *

Seiya calmly sipped her coffee, staring at the woman sitting across the table from her. "So, how are we going to do this?"

"Well, they've kissed already," Ayumi said, setting her own cup down on the table. "I've seen that much, unfortunately. This is a very delicate situation."

"Indeed. One false move and Sora will go running off like a scared little rabbit."

"And Riku will act like the ass that he is."

"As I said, this is very delicate."

"Yes, delicate."

There was a long pause during which both women stared at each other expressionlessly. Seiya's lips twitched with the effort of not laughing, but then Ayumi let out a little snort and she couldn't hold it in anymore. They sank down in their chairs, laughing uncontrollably.

Fate was just too good to her sometimes, so good that Ayumi Masaki—Riku's mother—had walked into the grocery store during her shift to buy a box of Trojans. Seiya had experienced an awkward moment when she mistook Ayumi for Riku and asked her if she was planning to get lucky tonight rather than the weekend, but Ayumi had taken it in stride. As soon as they'd recognized each other, Seiya had taken her lunch break early to talk. Luckily, they'd hit it off.

She held her sides as she finally regained control of herself. "For a minute there, I thought we were in a soap opera or something!"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Ayumi snickered. "I'm your mother's brother's twin sister's ugly stepsister twice removed. And also I'm pregnant. It's not yours."

"I should hope not."

Ayumi sipped her coffee again, a few giggles escaping her mouth. "Anyway, back to business. How do we get Sora and Riku together before I'm too old to tease them?"

"They've kissed, you say?"

"Oh, yes. Right in my kitchen Saturday night. Riku even managed to get Sora's shirt off. I could hear Sora whining before I turned up the stereo."

"Young love," Seiya sighed, remembering her own high school days. At Sora's age, she'd been caught in broom closets with boys much less respectable than Riku. And in leather. Whoo, boy, had she been a sucker for leather. "They're so cute together."

"An undeniable fact. What surprises me, though," Ayumi said, momentarily serious. "Is how well-suited they seem to be. Riku's arrogant, Sora's modest. Riku's a jerk, Sora's a good kid. Riku's experienced, Sora's—"

"More naïve than a baby lamb," Seiya finished for her. "Sora can learn and Riku can change. Together, they're something beautiful."

"Exactly." Ayumi's eyes were bright. "I was worried about how Riku would adjust to this move, but I'm glad he's found someone like Sora. He really needed to."

Seiya couldn't help but smile. Finally, someone was on the same page. Her jobs kept her too busy to make some real friends outside of the workplace, but if this wasn't a potential friendship then she didn't know what one was. She glanced at the clock.

"I'm no good at planning. We'll just improvise when they get here. In the meanwhile, I've got a half-hour before I have to go back to work and _Pirates of the Caribbean_ on DVD. You in?"

"Hell yes!"

* * *

"You know what your problem is?" Aerith asked as she mixed a pitcher of lemonade. Cloud stared at her miserably. "You're kind of a coward, Cloud."

He felt as though he should be indignant, but he couldn't muster up the energy. Cloud had never hated anyone more than he hated Riku. He'd thought that he and Leon were finally getting somewhere that morning when Leon had—Cloud blushed—_licked _him, but then he'd spent lunch looking for Riku and talking to Riku and generally being Riku's coolest fanboy. Cloud really couldn't understand what was so great about Riku that Leon could so easily ignore Cloud for him. Sure, the silver hair was interesting, but plenty of people had silver hair. None that Cloud could name, but there were probably plenty of silver-haired people back on the Islands.

When he didn't respond, Aerith simply rolled her eyes and continued stirring. Cloud was glad things weren't weird between them because it was times like these that he needed her guidance. Nobody, with the exception of Cloud, knew Leon better than Aerith, which made sense since she was his little sister. And nobody, with the exception of Leon, knew Cloud better than Aerith, because they'd been a couple until a little over eight months ago.

They'd been a pretty popular couple, he supposed. They'd gone everywhere and done everything together and Cloud had pretty much thought Aerith was the cutest, sweetest girl ever. However, the more time he spent with Aerith at her house, the more it became obvious to him that he was using her as a brick wall between him and his feelings for Leon. Unable to maintain that façade for long, Cloud had dumped her.

Aerith, known for being perceptive, had taken it well, wished him luck with Leon, and had never treated him as anything other than one of her best friends since the breakup. She was like a younger older sister, if not a mother, to him.

Leon and Tidus had taken it upon themselves to drive Kairi to work (probably to force her to give them free ice cream), which left Cloud free to ask Aerith the Guru for advice. He was kind of getting sick of Leon's shit.

Aerith laughed when he said as much. "What shit are you talking about exactly? Leon hasn't been acting any differently to me."

"It's not Leon, it's Riku. This kid from the Islands comes out of nowhere and starts moving in on my territory and I keep waiting for Leon to tell him to get lost, but it never happens," Cloud explained gruffly. He hated discussing his feelings even if he was sure Aerith wouldn't mock him or use it against him at some point.

"Well, did you try asking Leon who he's in love with?"

Cloud flushed, quickly turning his head away so Aerith couldn't see it. "No…"

"Like I said, you're kind of a coward," she poured the finished lemonade into two glasses, then put the pitcher in the fridge. "You're Leon's best friend. I'm sure if he was in love with someone else he would have told you. As for why he hasn't declared his undying love for _you_, well… you're being kind of an idiot about this, Cloud. You might be getting on his nerves."

Cloud hated when she made sense. Cheeks still a humiliating shade of pink, he admitted, "He licked me this morning."

"Where?"

"Where do you think?" Cloud asked, looking at her oddly. "That's kind of sick, Aerith."

Now _her_ cheeks were the ones stained red. "I didn't mean it like that! Anyway, are you staying the night? What do you want for dinner?"

Cloud chuckled, taking his lemonade and gulping down half the glass. Aerith was right. He had nothing to worry about until Leon came out and said he did. Until then, he'd just have to deal.

* * *

"I don't care," Sora said flatly as he opened the door to his house. Riku had followed him home like a lost puppy and it was only that analogy that kept Sora from kicking him and slamming the door in his face. "Just because you had me up against a locker today does not mean I'm going to sleep with you. It just means you have no self-control."

Riku looked as though he might argue that point, but they were still in the doorway and Sora still had the door in hand. He smirked, raising a challenging eyebrow.

"Oh, come on," Riku said, not taking the bait. "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that. I can make you feel so much better."

Sora rolled his eyes and let Riku in, shutting the door behind him. "Now you're just being pathetic. You really think I'm just going to sleep with you? Just like that? Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?"

Riku grabbed his hand before he could head to the kitchen, pulling Sora close. His voice was low and husky. "Sora, will you go out with me? We'll have dinner at a nice restaurant and then go see a movie of your choice and then—"

"We'll end up alone and naked in your bed?" Sora finished, shoving Riku away. "No thanks."

He was well aware that he'd more or less cut off all of Riku's options, but he found something quite satisfying in seeing the amount of trouble Riku was willing to go to on his behalf. While Riku fell silent behind him, Sora called for his mother, but heard nothing but some giggles and shuffling upstairs.

Sora turned to look at Riku suspiciously, but he was equally confused. Riku pressed a finger to his lips, then, sweeping Sora behind him, began to creep up the stairs. Sora followed unnecessarily close, getting a whiff of Riku's cologne. Why did he always have to smell so good? And how far gone was Sora that he was thinking about that when there were robbers in his house?

"It's coming from over there," Riku whispered, pointing to the end of the hall. The stairs to the attic were down. Sora hadn't been up there in forever.

He pushed past Riku and over to the stairs. The shuffling was definitely coming from up in the attic. He felt more than heard Riku approach and, exchanging a final glance with him, went up the stairs to the attic. He turned on the light as Riku crawled up, giggling when Riku had to tilt his head a little to avoid hitting it on the ceiling.

Sora looked around. "There's no one here."

And that was about when the hatch to the attic slammed shut.

Sora and Riku stared blankly at the stairs now sticking out of the floor, then at each other, voices coming out in a simultaneous rush.

"Did you—"

"Of course not—"

"What the _hell_—"

Sora got down on his hands and knees, banging on the stairs in a futile effort to open the hatch. "Hello? Hello? Hey, you can't just leave us up here, robber-man! Please don't leave us up here!"

"Sora-poo!" said a voice sounding suspiciously like his mother's.

"Riku, darling!" said another voice sounding suspiciously like Mrs. Masaki's.

Sora was completely confused until he heard a little sound and turned to see Riku rubbing his hand over his face. "They set us up. I can't believe this."

Suddenly, it all fell into place for Sora. That was exactly the kind of thing his mother would do. And, considering how Mrs. Masaki interacted with Riku, it was highly likely she was getting a kick out of this, too. They were all in on this sick plan to have Riku deflower him. Was there no justice in this world?

"My pants are staying on," he said firmly, getting to his feet. There was no point in banging on the hatch when he knew now that it wouldn't open. "And you're staying on your side of the attic!"

Of course, Riku's response to this was to bend down and kiss Sora's cheek like he had earlier. Sora's face burned at the memory, though he wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or humiliated that Riku had kissed him in front of his popular friends. There had been something like triumph in Tidus' eyes when Riku had kissed him and that made him nervous. Why did Tidus want the two of them together so bad? Why had Riku been so affectionate when his friends had come around? He hadn't ruled out the possibility that this was some kind of joke.

His breath hitched as Riku kissed the corner of his mouth. "Stop thinking so much. Go out with me."

"I… I don't want to," Sora said shakily, his lips brushing Riku's face with every word. He wanted to turn away, but found he couldn't move. He was shaking from the intensity of his conflicting emotions.

"Except you really do. Come on, Sora. I know this club we can go to. It'll be fun, I promise."

His cold fingers were under Sora's shirt again, making it hard to think clearly.

"I-I—"

"I _promise_."

Sora's resolve shattered into a million pieces. He leaned forward and kissed Riku soundly, shocking both of them. He was blushing when he pulled away. "Fine, we'll go on a date. But, so help me, if you use this as an opportunity to get me into bed—"

"Damn," he heard Ayumi mutter below. "He's figured out Plan B."

"Do you _mind_, mother?" Riku snapped, drawing Sora closer as though afraid he'd use the opportunity to run away. Not that Sora would. He was done running—for the moment, anyway.

The hatch opened and the two heard giggles and footsteps fade away. Sora assumed the mothers had gone down to the kitchen, but then Riku was kissing him again and Sora let himself forget for a minute. Forget that he was kind of supposed to be at work in a few minutes. Forget that Kairi had left school with Leon and Tidus and Sora hadn't known until someone from her student council meeting had told him she'd left. Forget that Riku had practically treated him like a trophy lover to parade around in front of his friends. Forget everything but Riku's hands on his face and Riku's teeth on his neck.

"A-Aah, Riku, you're—you're gonna leave a mark."

"That's sort of the point," Riku murmured, nibbling with single-minded determination at Sora's neck. "I want everyone to know."

"Know… what?"

"That you're mine."

Sora froze in Riku's arms, silent except for the sounds of his heavy beating and erratic heartbeat. "What?"

Riku froze when he did, releasing him abruptly and stepping back. He and Sora gaped at one another in silent astonishment and then Riku was brushing past him and running down the stairs. Sora felt unexpectedly cold without Riku's arms around him. He hugged himself, gazing around the attic in confusion.

"What was _that_ about?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer: **This chapter was very fun to write. You know why? Because Sora is the cutest thing in the world. Too bad he belongs to Riku and not me.

**Special Thanks:** All of you, thank Kari for Sora and Riku's outfit, mmkay? I'm a failure when it comes to clothes. Also, I stole the club description from a message board so thanks to them, too! Also, of course, once again, Starberrie's beta-ing skills!

**Warnings:** Have you ever seen a 15 year old boy have pre-date jitters?

**Date Begun:** January 1, 2005

**Date Posted:** January 3, 2005

**Date Edited: **December 29, 2007

**Chapter 7:** In Which There's A Date

To say Sora was frantic was an unbelievable understatement. He wasn't frantic; he was having a crisis. Riku would arrive to pick him up for their first date in thirty minutes and _he had nothing to wear_.

And, yes, Sora felt like a gigantic girl having this kind of problem, but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to look good. Not so good Riku would want to skip the date and get right to the kissing, but good enough to make Riku lose his composure a little. Was that so wrong?

"Mom!" he cried after emptying his closet. There were piles upon piles of clothes lying on his messy floor, but none of them seemed good enough. He eyed them all in frustration until his mother appeared in the doorway. "Help me! I don't have anything to wear!"

"Careful, Sora, your crush is showing," said Seiya in amusement.

Sora blushed. "That's… that's not it at all! It's not Riku. It's just my first date and I want it to go okay. Really!" He didn't even believe himself when he said that, but that wasn't important. He hurried over to the dresser, holding up two bottles of cologne for her inspection. "Obsession or Cool Water Deep?"

He sprayed each on a wrist and sniffed them experimentally. He was particularly fond of Obsession, because it was kind of appropriate, but, hey, maybe Riku was more of a Cool Water Deep fan. He had no idea. They didn't really talk about that kind of stuff. Or at all.

When his mother made no attempt to help him decide, he looked up to see that her face was turning red with the effort of trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny!" Sora cried, going through the piles of clothes again.

He was having a crisis and his mother was laughing at him. Great. Just great. Nevermind that Riku had 'taken him to the nurse' every day all week and that now Leon smirked at him every time he entered the Biology classroom, hickey or no hickey. Nevermind that he was seeing less and less of Kairi the more time she spent with her new friends. And nevermind that Riku still didn't sit with him at lunch—if they ever even made it to lunch. No matter how much he complained, his mother just laughed at him in his times of need. What a mother!

"Sora, honey, relax," Seiya commented with a little giggle. "You look like you're going to burst a blood vessel." Sora turned to tell her to leave him alone, only to be blinded by a flash that left him momentarily disoriented. "You forgot to say cheese."

"Mom, I'm in the middle of a crisis and you're taking pictures?" Sora made a futile attempt to rub the spots from his eyes. "Put the camera away and _help_ me!"

If by 'help' he'd meant 'laugh', then she did exactly as he said. Sora growled under his breath, going through his clothes for the umpteenth time. The white shirt with the smiley face was too childish. The sleeveless black zip-up shirt was too Matrix. The sky blue t-shirt was too average. He held up his pink teapot shirt, considering.

"You really want to be seen outside in a pink shirt?" asked Seiya. Sora flushed and threw the shirt back in the pile.

He slumped down on the floor. "Well, that's it then. I'm just going to have to go naked."

"As much as I would enjoy that, I think you'd get arrested for indecent exposure."

Sora screamed and whipped around so fast he nearly got whip-lash. It wasn't Riku, thank god, but Kairi, giggling at him from the doorway. She and Seiya exchanged a high-five, oblivious to Sora glowering at them from the floor. How was he supposed to be happy to see Kairi when she was only making the whole situation worse?

"That was so not funny."

"Sorry, Sora," Kairi said once she'd stopped taking twisted pleasure in his pain. "I just didn't take you for the type to get so worked up over a date with a guy you claim not to like."

"I _don't_ like him," Sora lied heatedly. "Our mothers locked us in the attic. Unless I wanted to spend the rest of my life up there with him and the spiders, I had to say yes!"

"Right, sure. Luckily for you, I'm here to help. Now let me see what you've got in that dingy old closet of yours…" Kairi trailed off as she saw that every piece of clothing Sora owned was on the floor. She sighed at his innocent smile. "I've got a _lot_ of work to do."

* * *

Five blocks down, in the Masaki household, a problem of an entirely different kind was going on. Riku watched his mother pace back and forth, idly chewing a Tic-Tac. She was going on about places he should take Sora for their date, but Riku had stopped listening to her hours ago. He was willing to bet that Sora would look absolutely delectable all dressed up and blushing in that adorable way he always did. Almost as delectable as he would look naked. 

But there was time for all that later. Riku popped another Tic-Tac in his mouth and focused on Sora in clothes. A hand slammed down on the table, startling him out of his thoughts and wedging the Tic-Tac in the back of his throat. He immediately choked.

"Are you listening?" Ayumi asked, making absolutely no attempt to keep him from asphyxiating. "Do you want to night to be great or not?"

Riku coughed the Tic-Tac up in his hand, then gingerly scraped it into a napkin. Gross. "It's my date, not yours, Mom," he reminded her with a mild glare. He could have _died_. "I have tonight all planned out."

"Will I have to leave for the night? Seiya and I were thinking of starting a bridge group."

"Only if, by some miracle, Sora decides to jump me."

The impossibility of that scenario made Riku just the slightest bit disappointed. He knew he was hot, but Sora didn't seem to be very aware of that fact. Sora would whine and complain and then melt in his arms and then smack his "perverted hands" away if they got anywhere near the zipper on his pants. How Sora purposed they had sex with their pants on was beyond him. He knew it could be done, yes, but the nudity was half the fun.

Ayumi took the empty case of Tic-Tacs from him and smiled. "Don't give up hope just yet. You'd better head out, anyway. It's almost time."

Riku headed for the front door, pausing by the hall mirror to survey his outfit. He was wearing a light yellow shirt just short enough to show off a peek of his abs and long, low-slung shorts with boots. Ayumi pushed him away from the mirror before he could get too enamored with his own reflection.

"You're going to have a great time," she said wryly. "Sora will come around. Don't worry."

"Do I ever?"

He tossed his hair arrogantly, grabbed his car keys, and walked out the door, trying hard to control his nerves during the five-block drive to Sora's house. It didn't work. There was a worrying fluttery feeling in his stomach, something he'd never felt in this kind of situation. His first time going off a high-dive, sure. When that bully in Kindergarten had threatened to dump red paint in his hair, perhaps. But going on a date? Riku had never been nervous about his dates before. He made people nervous, not the other way around.

He shook his head to clear it and rang the doorbell, hearing shuffling and giggles from inside. Wary of the last time, he took a step back as the door opened a crack to reveal a very blue eye staring out at him. His apprehension faded into fondness. He didn't even need to see Sora properly to tell Sora was blushing.

"U-Uh, hey, Riku…" Sora murmured as he pulled the door open all the way. Sora was wearing a sleeveless, form-fitting black shirt with fishnet arm coverings and two chain belts holding up tight dark jeans that clung to his hips in an absolutely alluring way. Around his neck was a buckled collar.

Riku was distantly aware that he was staring, but it was like he was having an out of body experience. He couldn't seem to stop himself from trailing his eyes over Sora's form over and over again.

The longer he stared, the more self-conscious Sora got. His blush deepened. "I-It was Kairi's idea. She thought maybe you'd like it but if—if it's too much I could go ch-change and—"

"Don't you dare," Riku managed, though his voice was breathless. "You look _amazing_."

The shy way Sora bit his lip and the flicker of happiness that lit up his eyes made the whole night worth it for Riku, no matter what happened. Sora cleared his throat, remembering that Kairi and his mother were probably hovering somewhere behind him. "Can we go now? I want to get this over with."

Riku smirked and gestured toward his car. Sora trudged past him, head down to mask the blush he couldn't seem to get rid of. Riku was about to follow when he spotted Kairi leaning against the wall and stepped forward to hug her.

"I am forever in your debt," he said dramatically. "If there's anything I can ever do to you, don't hesitate to ask, and I apologize in advance if I rip those pretty clothes in my haste to remove them."

Kairi laughed. "I'll hold you to it. Now get off me before Sora gets jealous."

Riku did as he was told, meeting Seiya's eyes and posing as she snapped a Polaroid of him. She gave him a thumbs-up. "Get out of here, you crazy kids in love!"

He closed the door behind him and joined Sora in the car. As soon as he closed the door his nose was assaulted with the scent of an unfamiliar cologne. It took him a moment to realize that the smell was coming from Sora and another second with his hands clenched around the steering wheel before he was able to start the car without pinning Sora to the seat and seeing how long it took him to remove that collar with his teeth.

Sora, apparently oblivious to his efforts, leaned closer to turn on the radio and Riku bit back a groan.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

_Beep, beep, beep._

Kairi sighed, glancing down at the beeper attached to her hip. It had been a gift from Yuffie so that she and her friends could have access to Kairi 24/7. Kairi had been seconds away from pawning it for the cash, but she knew that if she didn't answer, there'd probably be hell to pay.

"Can I use your phone before I go?" she asked, thankful that Seiya just nodded and didn't bother to ask where she'd gotten the beeper from. Sora had gotten his curiosity from his father. She took the wireless up to Sora's room and sat on the bed, dialing the number flashing on her beeper.

"Finally," said Selphie unhappily. "Where are you? I'm at your parlor and I'm too broke to afford my strawberry shake!"

"Friday's my day off," Kairi muttered. "Sorry."

Selphie huffed for a moment or two while Kairi considered hanging up the phone. Out of all of them, Selphie was the one she was least afraid of. She was violent, sure, and had a mouth like a sailor at times, but she wasn't much for blackmail. Then again, if she hung up on Selphie, then Selphie would tell Tidus, and Tidus kind of struck fear into Kairi's heart.

She made an effort to sound kind when she spoke again, "So, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Have you got enough money for a shake?"

"Not on me."

"Where _are_ you?"

"At Sora's house."

Even though she didn't offer up any more explanation than that, Selphie still squealed delightedly. "He and Riku went out on a date? Tidus is going to _love_ this."

"How do you—"

"More importantly, are you busy tomorrow? Tidus let me borrow his wallet without his knowledge and I want to buy a new dress."

Kairi rolled her eyes skyward. Going shopping with Selphie was only slightly more fun than getting a root canal. Sure, she was a girl, but watching Selphie try on the whole damn store before deciding to buy nothing annoyed even her. "Can't. I have to go shopping for snacks."

"Snacks?" Selphie perked up instantly. "You're having a party?"

"Well, yeah… my sixteenth birthday's in three days and I'm having a party next Friday…"

"That's great! I'll be there. We all will."

Kairi felt her stomach drop. "Wh-What?"

"You can't just have a party and not invite your _friends_. That's just rude."

"But—"

"We'll be there around eight or nine. Nice talking to you, Kairi!"

Selphie had hung up before she could respond. Kairi stared blankly at the phone for a very long time before she finally turned it off, tears building behind her eyes. She'd been hoping to have a nice quiet night with her and Sora sitting on the couch and watching all her favorite Disney movies. She'd even been planning to invite Riku so they could spend the whole night teasing Sora, even if that meant she might return from getting more popcorn to find them making out on her couch.

She hadn't been hoping for this.

Kairi tossed the phone on the bed and tried to think of a way out of having Yuffie, Wakka, Tidus, Selphie, Leon, and Cloud in her house. Nothing was coming to mind. She couldn't uninvite them. She hadn't been the one to invite them in the first place! How was she going to explain this to Sora, anyway? And now she'd have to buy party bags and stuff.

Her shoulders slumped. Her birthday was going to _suck_.

* * *

Sora wasn't really the type to leave his house at night, let alone to go somewhere like Club Aurora. There was a long line of people that began at the door and wound around the block, all waiting to get in. Pulsing music could faintly be heard through the slightly open door, in front of which stood an irritated-looking bouncer that Sora was not excited about approaching.

He glanced back at Riku apprehensively. "Your big date idea was to take me to a club? Am I even legal?"

"What kind of date would I be if I tried to sneak you into a 21 and older club? Club Aurora's all-ages," Riku got out of the car and poked his head back inside. "Come on. You'll have fun. I promised, didn't I?"

Sora was skeptical about that, but he got out of the car nevertheless. He still couldn't believe he was really out on a date with Riku. He blushed as he remembered the way Riku had stared at him when he'd opened the door, the heated look in Riku's eyes before he'd turned on the engine, the way Riku's hands had been clenched around the steering wheel as he drove. Obsession really had been the appropriate choice and he was sure Riku agreed.

He hurried to keep up with Riku, who was already walking to the front of the line. Various expletives were shouted at them by the people waiting and Sora huddled closer to Riku for safety. Riku took his hand and smiled at the bouncer.

"Hey, Makoto, can you let me and my friend here in?" Riku asked, lowering his voice. "We're on a date."

The bouncer laughed and let them inside, much to Sora's surprise. He hadn't been aware that 'Makoto' could laugh.

The inside of the club was amazing. A huge dance floor was ringed by small, intimate tables with glowing numbers on each other. Light colored smoke that smelled like lilac seemed to hang perpetually in the air. Sora looked to his left to see a golden, spiral staircase leading up to a second floor that seemed to hold nothing but more tables.

He took everything in, awed, until he felt a warm puff of air by his ear and Riku whispered, "Dance with me."

Sora let Riku tug him into the crowd of people swaying and grinding on the dance floor, the neon lights flashing in time with the music. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and pulled him closer. Blushing, Sora hesitantly reached up and wrapped his arms around Riku's neck.

"This isn't so bad, is it?" Riku asked, pressing their foreheads together. Sora nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He was vaguely aware that the song playing was fast-paced, not one that would require closeness and swaying, but Sora couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be than there in the circle of Riku's arms. He felt Riku's chest rumble and realized the older boy was chuckled. "That was beautiful, Sora."

Sora realized he'd said that out loud and blushed all over again.

Riku swayed them through the song and through the slow one than followed, lulling Sora into warm contentment. Unfortunately, the longer they danced, the thirstier Sora got until his throat was just too parched for him to remain content. He waited until the slow song was over to lean up and shout, "I'm going to get some water!"

Riku nodded and pointed to a table in the corner, then slipped through the crowd to wait there. Sora watched him go for a moment, then headed for the bar. He took a seat on a stool next to some semi-conscious drunkards and waited for the bartender to come over.

"I'd like some water please," he asked politely.

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "How old are you, kid?"

"…fifteen?"

"Can I see some ID?"

"I don't have ID. I'm fifteen!" Which technically wasn't true as he did have a student ID, but that was in his backpack at home. "Look, my name's Sora Harada, I'm a sophomore at school here, and I'd really like some water."

The bartender's other eyebrow lifted to join the first and Sora stared at him peevishly until he turned and filled the glass. While he prepared the water—although, honestly, how much preparation could water take—Sora glanced back at the crowd and located a familiar head of silver hair. Riku was sitting at the table with the glowing red ten, shrugging off a girl that was trailing her finger up his arm. Sora felt a brief stab of jealousy though he wasn't surprised. What did he expect coming to a nightclub with an unnaturally hot guy? He didn't blame the girl so much as he kind of wanted her dead.

The bartender slammed the glass down on the counter. "Here's your water, _Sora._"

Sora gulped it down, slamming the empty glass back on the counter. "Thank you, _bar guy_," he said, wiping his mouth and hopping off the stool. He pushed through the crowds to get to the table where Riku, who seemed to have ridded himself of his latest admire, smiled at him as he slid into his seat.

Sora wobbled for a moment, oddly dizzy, then smiled back. "Hey."

"Hey," Riku replied. "Get your water?"

"Mhmm. More dancing!"

He got to his feet, knocking over his chair in the process, and dragged Riku back onto the dance floor by his wrist. Before he could turn around, Riku had pulled him so that Sora's back was against his front and Riku's hands were covering the bare skin between his belts and shirt. Riku rested his head on Sora's shoulder, making Sora shiver every time he exhaled.

Sora's eyes fluttered shut as their bodies began moving to the beat, his head swimming pleasantly and his body overwhelmed with sensations. Every thrum of music, every brush of Riku's breath against his skin, even the feel of Riku behind him seemed to shake him to the core.

Riku abruptly turned him and Sora stumbled into him, causing their hips to brush and pleasure to shoot through Sora's body. Riku was breathless when he spoke, "Dance with me, Sora."

Sora was aware that he was breathing heavily and hanging on to Riku like a lifeline, but his head was spinning too fast for him to make sense of anything. The last thing he remembered was Riku murmuring his name in concern before his vision clouded and he fell to the floor.

* * *

"It's Selphie," said Leon with minimal enthusiasm as he stared at the face of his cell phone. _Incoming call… SELPHIE _flashed across the screen and, really, he didn't feel like dealing with Selphie at the moment.

He and Cloud were sitting on the couch watching a tape of Aerith's middle school violin concert and throwing popcorn at the screen, which he considered to be a little more important than her babbling. Leon's parents, who really hated it when they made such messes, were out of town again so there'd be no one to yell at them to vacuum. At least, not unless Aerith was feeling particularly nitpicky when she got home.

"If you don't answer, she's just going to call again," Cloud said, bouncing a kernel off TV Aerith's head. "And again and again. Damn, your sister looked odd with braces."

Leon sighed, seeing the truth in Cloud's words, and flipped the phone open, pressing it to his ear. "Yeah."

"Guess what you're doing next Friday?" Selphie chirped. Leon could already feel a headache coming on.

"I'm not taking you shopping."

"No, silly. I wouldn't go shopping with you. You always ditch me when I'm in the dressing room. Kairi's birthday party is next Friday and she's graciously invited us all!"

Leon doubted it had happened quite like that, but he was intrigued all the same. He wasn't much for parties, something his parents found bizarre considering they owned fifteen nightclubs worldwide, but he was very fond of schadenfreude. Kairi probably wasn't pleased that Selphie had invited them all to her birthday party and what kind of person would he be if he didn't stop by to enjoy that?

Cloud paused the tape and glanced over him, raising an eyebrow. "We're _not_ taking her shopping. Be strong in the face of adversity, Leonhart."

Leon had to stomp down really hard on the urge to laugh. Selphie was still on the phone and she might take his laughter as a sign of the Apocalypse rather than as a sign that Cloud was an idiot.

He covered the phone with a hand. "She's inviting us to Kairi's birthday party. You interested?"

Cloud pressed play, though his eyes were distant with thought. Leon had no doubt Selphie would easily convince Yuffie and Wakka to come. Tidus wouldn't be given much choice in the matter since he usually got dragged along with whatever Selphie decided to do. Did he really feel like killing a Friday with the four of them, plus Sora, Riku, and Kairi, even if Cloud was there with him?

The front door opened and Aerith entered, her cheeks flushed as she put away her coat. She spotted the two of them on the couch and opened her mouth to greet them until she caught sight of what they were watching.

"_Guys_," she said warningly. "That better not be what I think it is."

Cloud stopped thinking long enough to smile at her. "What do you think it is? Because I'm kind of seeing a television set."

"Don't mock me with your semantics, Strife, or I'll put you outside."

"I'd much rather have some lemonade."

"Oh, well, you'd better come and get it yourself, then. If you can put that tape in yourself than you can get your own lemonade!"

Cloud chuckled and got up, following Aerith to the kitchen, where Leon heard them conversing quietly amidst the noise of cupboard doors opening. He felt a momentarily stab of jealousy—how Cloud and Aerith managed to remain so close after breaking up was beyond him—then let it go. He didn't need to join Cloud in the club for jealous assholes.

"Leon," Selphie whined in his ear, reminding him that she was still on the phone. "C'mon! It'll be so much fun. We can eat all her food and trash her house and then order her to say _she_ did it or something. Don't you think that would be fun?"

"That sounds sadistic. I'm proud."

Selphie giggled. "Thanks. So, will you come?"

Cloud returned, looking very bemused, with two glasses of lemonade in hand. Leon accepted one and allowed Cloud to rejoin him on the couch, sitting much closer than he had been before. Before he could give Selphie a definite answer, Cloud took the phone from him, said, "Can't," and closed it.

Leon raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Aerith's going on a date with Vincent Valentine that day," Cloud said as though that explained everything. Which it did.

Leon slipped his cell phone back into his pocket and settled down on the couch, his arms thrown over the back. And if Cloud shifted just that much closer, neither of them decided to mention it.

* * *

Riku watched in horror as Sora collapsed and, for one wild moment, he thought that it was his fault, that Sora couldn't handle the things Riku was promising to do to him and had passed out. Then, his common sense kicked in and he knelt down beside Sora's limp form, pressing two fingers against Sora's forehead. His pulse was beating a little faster than usual and his face was flushed, but, other than that, Sora seemed fine.

Around them, people continued dancing as though nothing was wrong. The couple nearest to them had stopped and the girl that had been pestering him for a date earlier offered to call the ambulance, but Riku shook his head. Something wasn't right, but it wasn't a medical thing.

He leaned closer and smelled Sora's breath. There was no trace of alcohol, but that didn't mean anything. Vodka, for instance, left no discernable trace until you drank too much of it and started acting stupid.

Riku was about to pick Sora up when Sora came to with a groan, his eyes clouded and searching. He stroked Sora's cheek lightly, ignoring the crowd of people that now gathered around them.

"Hey, Sora. You alright?" he asked quietly, smiling when Sora leaned into his touch and purred. "Obviously not."

"Mm," Sora stretched, causing his shirt to ride up even further. Riku had to look away. "Probably shouldn't… shouldn't have drank that water so fast."

Riku helped Sora to his feet, waving away anyone's attempts to help, and glared over at the bartender. He helped Sora wobble over to a stool and carefully sat him down on one, then slammed his hands down on the bar and glowered. "What the _hell_ did you give him?"

"Straight vodka," the bartender said indifferently. "Tell your boy it was a 6-foot glass, not a shot. Next time he should take his time."

"He asked for water! And he's fifteen! That's a crime!"

"So's underage drinking. I had my orders and he'll be fine in the morning."

Riku was about to ask on whose orders the bartender had done something that stupid when he remembered that Leon's folks owned the club, which was how he'd gotten in so quickly in the first place. He reached out and caught Sora before he toppled off the stool, making a mental note to chew Leon out on Monday. As if Riku would really sink as low as to take advantage of Sora while he was drunk. That was just sick.

Riku gave the bartender one last glare, then got Sora back on his feet and headed for the door. Sora pressed himself along Riku's side, making it a little hard for Riku to walk. And think straight.

"Did you get me more water?" Sora asked, pressing his face against Riku's neck. "You smell good."

"We're going home." Sora was giggling for a full minute before Riku realized the implications of that statement. "Not for that! Ugh, just get in the car."

Sora had to try twice to open the car door and then he curled up into a fetal position in the passenger seat and immediately fell asleep. Riku watched him, clenching his fists so hard he nearly cut his palm. No. _No_. It wasn't right. He closed the door and walked around to his side, speeding in his haste to put as much distance between Sora and that club as possible.

To his immense relief, his mother wasn't home to ask questions. Riku led Sora up the stairs to his bedroom, taking the three discarded outfit choices off his bed before allowing Sora to collapse on it. Sora turned onto his stomach, his face turned toward Riku and his shirt riding up even more.

Riku swallowed.

"Hey," Sora said in a tired little voice, training glazed eyes on Riku as Riku pulled a chair up by the bed and sat on it. "How come you want to sleep with me so badly?"

There were many reasonable responses to that question that had nothing to do with video cameras or being popular, but Riku didn't use any of them. Instead he said, "You should probably sleep off that vodka."

Sora smiled, eyes half-lidded, and Riku could see how exhausted he was. How helpless. It wouldn't be that hard for him to just retrieve the camera in the closet. Maybe Leon had had the right idea. Maybe this was the only way he could accomplish this in a month. Then he could end this whole thing with Sora before he got in too deep.

He glanced at the closet, tempted.

A warm hand closed around his thigh as Sora inevitably drew Riku's attention back to him. "Riku…"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I want to…" Sora licked his lips and sat up slightly. "I _do_ want…"

"Shh," Riku said, pushing him back down again. "You're drunk, Sora. You don't know what—"

"Kiss me."

Riku nearly fell out of his chair. Sora was keeping Riku's hand pressed against his chest and he could feel the way Sora's heartbeat quickened beneath his fingers. He looked so honest, so eager, so much like everything Riku had ever even imagined he might want.

But it wasn't right. Riku pulled his hand away. "Sora, I can't."

"I knew it," Sora murmured, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. "I knew someone like you could never seriously like someone like me." The tears fell freely. "I knew this had to be some kind of joke."

_It is some kind of joke,_ Riku thought, feeling his own eyes sting. _I can't want you that way._

Sora's hand moved from Riku's thigh to grab a fistful of Riku's shirt. "Can't you even pretend that you could? Just for a minute? It's just a—"

Riku kissed him. It was supposed to be chaste, but as soon as Sora's mouth fell open under his, he lost it. Sora tasted like vodka and smelled like lilac and cologne and _Sora_ and Riku was helpless to do more than groan and close his hands around Sora's face to keep him from moving. When Sora did move, however, it was closer, straddling Riku on the chair and running his fingers through Riku's hair.

That jolted Riku back to his senses and he tore his lips away from Sora's and gently pushed Sora away. "We should—we should stop. You're drunk, Sora. I _can't_."

Sora smiled a little sadly and curled up on the bed again. This time, his back was to Riku.

"Sora…" Riku said, pained. "Sora, please don't be mad at me."

"'m not. You're being all chivalrous. And my mouth is starting to taste like ass." Sora glanced at him over his shoulder and smiled, this one actually meeting his eyes. "Night-night, Riku."

Then, as though he'd used up the last of his energy to say goodnight, Sora's eyes slipped shut and he was snoring quietly. Riku watched Sora's chest rise and fall with each breath he took and, impulsively, he brushed his hand across Sora's smooth cheek.

"I don't deserve you," he whispered softly. "But I wish I did."

He heard the door open and close downstairs and tucked Sora in, putting the chair back in the corner and turning off the lights. He stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching Sora sleep, then closed the door and went to the living room to greet his mother.

Ayumi looked surprised to see him. "You're home extremely early," she pointed out, removing her shoes. "Did things not go well with Sora?"

"Actually… things went great," Riku said awkwardly. "We went to Club Aurora and we had a really great time."

Ayumi raised an eyebrow for him to continue. Riku wasn't surprised. He knew where he'd gotten his brains from.

"But… Sora got a hold of some vodka and now he's passed out in my bedroom."

Ayumi looked horrified for a moment before she turned a suspicious gaze on Riku. "You didn't do anything to him, did you? If you had anything to do with that—"

"I wouldn't do something like that!"

"Of course you wouldn't," but she did look more at ease. She walked up to him and brushed her fingers through his hair. "Go get some sleep. Tomorrow you can go get some headache pills for Sora since I'm assuming this will be his first hangover. I'll call Seiya and tell her what happened."

Reassured, Riku went over to the couch and began moving the cushions to create a makeshift bed. "I'll sleep here?"

"Why?"

"I'm afraid if I try falling asleep next to Sora, I'll molest him in my sleep and Sora will wake up without his virginity."

Ayumi laughed. "If you say so. Goodnight."

Riku got himself some blankets from the linen closet and got comfortable on the couch. "'Night, Mom. Thanks."

The lights went off and Ayumi's footsteps faded up the stairs. Riku lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't believe he'd even considered taking advantage of Sora in that state. He couldn't believe he technically had. How was he going to explain that to Sora in the event Sora actually remembered everything in the morning?

The silence of the house and the darkness of the room calmed him enough to close his eyes. He could worry about all that in the morning. With that, he fell asleep, thinking of the way Sora had danced with him in the club and smiling subconsciously.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** Me no own, you no sue.

**Author's Note:** Love is in the air... And I know a lot of you hate me for Riku's poor missed opportunity and the whole ruining of the date thing. Trust me, you're gonna hate me for a lot more than that. Just not this chapter. ::smirk::

**Addendum: ::faints**:: U-Uzumaki-sama reviewed m-my story! EEEEE! UZUMAKI-SAMA, IN ALL HER GREATNESS, REVIEWED MY STORY! OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH! ::cough:: Sorry. I just, like, worship her stories. Also, Uzumaki-sama, I'm really sorry! I knew the name sounded familiar… I was trying to think up a name for Sora's mom and 'Seiya' popped into my head and I thought '…Why does that sound so familiar?' but then I shrugged it off. I didn't mean to offend you at all and I'm totally sorry! But, ohmigosh, you're reviewing to my story! Now I know I'm doing a decent job. ::squeals and goes off to dance::

**News:** I got the name 'Seiya' for Sora's mother from Uzumaki-sama's awesome stories, which you should go read, because she is the QUEEN of the RS Fandom. That is all. ::static::

**Replies:**

Insanehikari (I'm very sorry. That being said, I love that song and I love Ashlee Simpson. I was actually writing the story while listening to that song, as a matter of fact.), Haven-Hikari (I've got nothing on you, huh? What about chapter four, missy?), Koharu-chan (Go eat pocky! Now!), Tama-Kitsune (Alright. ::whispers:: Spoiler: Sora's gonna fall in love with Riku this chapter. Or start to, anyway), xxphatxbaybeexx (Yes. Yes he is. And he is also plotting my eminent doom), ChibiNekoSakura (::smile::), The Writer, you fools (::blush:: I'm not that good! Really! If you want to see talent, check out the stories on MY favorite's list. But thank you so much!), RyuichiFreak (Super pissed doesn't even BEGIN to cover it), Greenarrow-Resurrected (Luck, luck, luck!), Shadow-Angel-of-Silence (No, I didn't make the skin. That came with the site!), greyspark (Riku isn't a virgin. ::cough cough::), and Mujyakina-Hitokoroshiya (I've heard of that movie! Ryan Phillipe is so hot).

**Thanks to:**

XxX Chains XxX, Ren, Lindsay, MariQ, Risky-reaper, Bubble sealer, Soft Willow, addmoose2004, kuramasgirl13, cammy-world666, Dark Angel Kira, Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu, Ivin Artemis Draconis, Queen of the Paperclips, Uzumaki-sama, EC-Chan, lymerai, Griever Weapon, LovelyRikaru, Minamotogirl, severedwing, Riku's Heartless Angel, Chiyosuke, voidsenshi, Fire-Bubbles and LiLi-Sama.

**Dedication:**

This story is dedicated to Kari, who did my biology homework for me (I mean… Helped me with it...) and therefore extended the chapter length to 20 pages!

**Date Begun:** January 4, 2005

**Date Posted: **January 9, 2005

**Chapter 8:** And My Hair's A Mess, Even When It's Straight

_Damn elephants,_ was the first thing Sora thought as he awoke. His vision was swimming and he could barely make out anything about the room he was in, not to mention there were goddamn elephants _river-dancing_ inside his head.

He groaned and reached a hand up to wipe his eyes, wondering why his entire body felt like lead. He blinked his eyes again until he could properly focus on the white ceiling above him.

Wait a second.

His ceiling wasn't white. His ceiling was blue, just like the rest of his room.

Sora sat up in a flash, instantly regretting it when his head began to swim and he felt his breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the last three days coming up. He stumbled out of the bed and onto the floor, not able to hold his food down long enough to try and figure out where the bathroom was.

Once he was finished, he made a face. "Ugh…"

Sora sat down on the floor next to his mess, looking around wearily. Where was he? What happened? Why couldn't he remember anything about last night? The only thing that surfaced in his memory was the hungry, lustful look on Riku's face when the older boy had seen Sora's outfit.

He couldn't remember much after getting in the car and driving away from his house.

He swallowed, trying to soothe his parched throat as he tried to think through the river-dancing elephants. Stupid elephants. He was willing to bet they were fat and ugly and pink and wearing tutus and tap shoes, just to spite him.

Sora sighed. He needed to _focus_.

He shoved himself to his feet, wobbling only slightly, and looked around the room. It was relatively clean and very familiar to him. A chair was drawn up by the side of his bed and he saw a pile of clothes folded and resting on the edge of the bed.

Sora's eyes widened. Weren't those… the clothes he'd been wearing last night?

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screeched, dropping to the floor and crawling away from the bed in a panic. He knew it! He knew Riku couldn't be trusted! And what did he get for actually beginning to like that white-haired phony?

Sora whimpered. "I can't believe he raped me!" He looked down at himself for the first time and saw that he was dressed in nothing but his red-and-black-checkered boxers.

Another scream loud enough to break the sound barrier erupted from Sora's mouth. Then he groaned.

Screaming Elephants Bigger Headache.

Sora clutched his head and whimpered the loss of his precious innocence, rocking back and forth in a little ball. How on earth was he going to make it out of the house, past the boy who'd raped him in the first place.

His eyes trailed around the room craftily. He was on the second floor of Riku's house, he knew, so climbing out the window wouldn't be very smart. There were no trees around he could use to aid him.

Besides, he didn't too much fancy going outside in nothing but his boxers.

He looked at the clothes so neatly folded on the bed and cautiously headed towards them, as if expecting them to blow up at him. He stumbled a bit, mind still hazy from his first hangover. He needed to get his clothes and get out. Get clothes, get out. Get clothes, get—

"Sora, what're you doing out of bed?"

A third scream left Sora's mouth as he flipped around so fast he almost got whiplash. He tensed, seeing Ayumi wince at the noise, and noted that his headache was now ten times worse.

Overloaded, the boy fell back onto the bed with a groan.

"Oh, you poor thing. This is your first hangover," Ayumi said with a sympathetic sigh. She walked over to Sora, evading his lunch on the carpet, and watched as he peeked through his fingers to stare at her.

"Uh…" Sora said, his voice slightly hoarse from the screaming. "In order to be… having a… ugh… hangover…. wouldn't I have had to be..." He paused to keep his lunch down again. "Drunk?"

Ayumi smiled. "And, so, what exactly do you think is happening to you right now?"

"…Punishment for something I did in a past life…?" came Sora's reply. He couldn't find the energy to pout when Ayumi broke into laughter, so he turned on his side and buried his face into his pillow. "What happened?"

Ayumi glanced at the mess Sora had made on the floor and frowned. "We'll talk after I scrub that stain out of the carpet before Riku comes home and sees it." She saw Sora's entire body tense up at the name 'Riku' and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Uh…" Sora began weakly, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Uh… where'd Riku go?"

Ayumi stood up, still eyeing Sora suspiciously. "He went to the pharmacy to get you some pills to take care of that headache."

"You mean the _elephants_?"

Ayumi laughed. "You poor, poor thing. Hang tight, Sora. I'll be back with some soap, water, and disinfectant, and Riku will be home not long after that."

She stepped out the door the next minute, so she missed seeing Sora gulp and whimper helplessly.

-

Riku examined the bottles of pills in his hands.

Advil or Viagra.

He chuckled evilly to himself, putting the Viagra back on the shelf and dismissing all thoughts of slipping it into Sora's food. He was in a fairly good mood, despite the… events of last night that still had him dying to use those chain belts to tie Sora to his bed and…

_Teach him the wonders of the human body. Yes, Riku_ thought with a nod. _And how every action leads to a certain reaction._

He chuckled to himself again and grabbed the Advil, walking up to the counter and whistling happily. Now all he had to do was head back to his house and then he'd get to see his adorable, if not incredibly frustrating, Sora.

He didn't bother to dwell on just when he'd started referring to Sora as 'his'.

Riku dug around his pockets for some money as the little bell rang, signifying that somebody was entering the store. He looked up, then smiled. "Hey, Kairi!"

Kairi quickly located Riku and beamed as she jogged over. "Riku! How's Sora doing?"

Riku took his bag from the cashier and shrugged his shoulders. "He was still asleep when I woke up and Mom sent me out to get him these pills to help with the headache. I'm kind of worried." At Kairi's amused look, he frowned. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Kairi said innocently. "I'll just grab my stuff and then I'll head over to see Sora with you." Riku nodded, his frown deepening when Kairi skipped away, singing, "And love is all that I can give to you, Every Sora needs a Riku-poo, Two in love can make it take his heart but please don't break it, love was made for Sora and Riku!"

He twitched. "Kairi, could you not sing?"

Kairi looked at him innocently, then beamed and nodded, looking extremely amused. Riku rolled his eyes, flipping through a girls' magazine, more out of boredom than anything else.

He was halfway through an article on how to tell whether or not you're in love with someone when Kairi finally came over to the cashier, carrying a handful of snacks and paper plates. Riku raised an eyebrow at her.

"What's that stuff for?" he asked, gesturing at the items.

Kairi looked at them, then at him, before her eyes lit up in realization. "Oh! I forgot to tell you, didn't I? Hee. My birthday's in two days."

Riku stared at her while she stood in front of him, scratching the back of her head sheepishly and grinning apologetically. "You can come to the party of course. Only me, Sora, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Yuffie, and, well, now you are going to be there."

"How'd you get Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and Yuffie to come?" Riku asked, watching her pay for her items. Kairi tensed up for a second before relaxing and smiling.

"They… volunteered. In fact, they insisted." She said in an overly casual voice. "Anyway, are you coming?" She smirked. "_Sora_ will be there."

Riku tapped his fingers impatiently against the counter. "Kairi, for some reason, I get the feeling you are entertaining some completely untrue ideas that I have anything besides a deep, unyielding lust, and slight respect for, your best friend."

"I do not!" Kairi protested. "I just think you're in love with him."

She laughed at the groan that escaped Riku's mouth. They walked out of the store in silence until Riku spoke up again. "I'm _not_."

"You are. I can see it, Seiya sees it, even Ayumi sees it. You're blind to your own feelings," Kairi said, placing a hand to her heart. "Ah, love. Such a complex emotion. Sometimes love is an addiction, sometimes it hurts like hell, and sometimes you just can't get enough."

Riku glared at her. "I'm not in love with Sora, Kairi."

"Sure, sure. Now stop arguing and help me plan my party. Sora was supposed to, but he has this huge distraction called Riku Masaki's Sugar-Kisses." She ducked the arm that came out to whack her across the head and laughed.

-

The window? No, too dangerous.

The door? No, Ayumi was right down the hall and was sure to hear him.

Wait! He could go chameleon, sneak down the hall, blend in with the walls, run to the front door, turn intangible, and run headlong towards his house. Yes. Then he could leave the country and change his name to Fishy McBob.

Sora tried to move his arm and gave up. So much for that plan. He couldn't even work up the energy to do much more than groan and clamp his eyes shut even tighter. It'd been a hassle just to put his clothes back on.

But he had to get out of the bedroom before Riku came back and decided to rape him again. He was too young to be raped twice! He whimpered softly. Even if the rapist was sexy.

He heard the door open and close downstairs and panicked, sitting up in bed again, then falling off when he swayed from the exertion he was putting on his body.

_Have… to… hide…_ he thought, looking around the room slowly. He could either hide under the bed or in the closet. He chose the closet, if only because he didn't quite _want_ to know what kinds of creatures a rapist kept under his bed.

He managed to drag himself into the closet and pull the door closed just as Riku entered the room, Kairi right behind him.

The two were in the middle of an argument that ended the instant they realized that Sora wasn't in the bed. Riku frowned. "Mom said he was asleep in here. Where could he have gone in his state?"

"I don't know. Sora doesn't hold his alcohol well at _all_. He should barely be able to walk," Kairi added, setting a bag on the floor.

Sora's eyes narrowed. So she was the traitor! Did she even realize that her big mouth had led to the loss of his innocence?!

"Hmm," Riku murmured thoughtfully. "We've got to find him. If you were Sora, where would you hide?"

"In the closet," Kairi answered immediately. "But that's way too easy."

Sora breathed a sigh of relief and backed himself up further against the closet wall. He could hear them searching under the bed and talking to one another in low voices. He took a deep breath, shifting to make himself more comfortable, when his leg hit against something.

Sora picked it up, squinting at it in the dim light the crack in the door provided. A video camera? Sora hadn't pegged Riku as the kind of person to have the patience to film things. Unless that thing was himself.

Sora blinked before his vivid imagination came up with a very different reason for Riku to be using that video camera, among numerous other things including a partner, whipped cream, and handcuffs, and he squeaked, dropping the camera back into the bag he'd found it in.

The door to the closet swung open, revealing an amused-looking Kairi and a curious-looking Riku. Sora held his fingers up in the shape of a cross. "Back! Back, demon!"

"I thought we were past this stage," Riku said with a roll of his eyes, reaching out and pulling Sora to his feet with one swift tug. Sora struggled to get his arm out of Riku's grasp, but at the first sign of resistance, the grip tightened. "Sora, what is with you?"

"Kairi! Help!" Sora whined, continuing to tug on his arm. "Make him let go, Kairi! Make him go away!"

Kairi raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Ayumi appeared in the doorway, carrying some dirty laundry. She blinked in surprise at the scene before her. At first, she looked at a loss for exactly what to say, but then she just looked at Sora and said, "What are you doing out of bed?"

Sora sniffled pitifully. "Riku's trying to rape me again."

"Rape you?!" Ayumi asked in surprise.

"Again?!" Riku said, matching his mother's tone. Both stared at Sora as if he'd grown three heads. Now that Riku had dropped his arm in shock, Sora used the opportunity to fiddle his fingers.

"Well, what else could have happened last night? He obviously got me drunk and raped me and now he went to the store and got… got Viagra or something so he can rape me again!" Sora declared, pouting.

Kairi, Ayumi, and Riku stared at him in silence.

Seconds later, Ayumi and Kairi were laughing so hard that their sides hurt and Riku was looking at the ground, his bangs covering his eyes.

"S-Sora…" Ayumi said between fits of laughter. "Riku never tried to… HA… rape you! He even… even slept in another… heehee… room so he wouldn't be tempted!"

Sora looked at Riku, but the white-haired boy was on his way out of the room. Feeling suddenly guilty, he looked back at Ayumi. "He did?"

"Yes!" Ayumi snickered a bit more before regaining control of herself. "Riku was worried about you, you silly boy! He watched over you until he fell asleep and then he slept on the couch! First thing this morning, he checked on you, made you some soup, then went out to get you some headache pills!"

Kairi shook her head, grinning. "Geez, what goes on in that mind of yours, Sora?"

Sora looked sheepish. His mind wasn't on them, however. It was on Riku and the sad look that had been on the boy's face before he'd turned away and left. Sora felt horrible. How could he have thought that Riku – sweet, wonderful Riku – Would ever try and hurt him?

"I'm so stupid…" he murmured quietly, kicking at the ground with his shoes. He winced slightly, looking at Ayumi. "Can I get the pills now? I think my headache just got worse."

-

Once Sora's headache had been properly taken care of, and while he was battling the drowsy aftereffects, he headed up to Riku's tower.

It seemed odd to him that a sixteen-year-old should even have a tower in the first place, but, apparently, there was a little trapdoor in the roof at the end of the hall that pulled down into a staircase. The staircase led up to a small room, with a door that led out to a balcony. All of this was what made up Riku's Tower.

Or, as Ayumi put it, Riku's 'I'm an angsty, suffering teenager' pity palace.

Sora jumped up, grabbing the string and pulling the staircase down, walking up the stairs and pulling the door closed behind him. He didn't see Riku in the room, so he gathered that the boy was out on the balcony.

Sora took a deep breath and walked outside.

"Go away, Mom, I don't want to—Oh." Sora looked sheepish at the look Riku was giving him. The older boy turned back around to look at the city, his arms resting on the railing. "What do you want, Sora? Aren't you afraid I'll rape you?"

Sora twitched. And the guilt just kept on coming.

"Uh, no," he said sheepishly, stepping further out onto the balcony. "I-I just came to, ah, talk."

"So talk," Riku replied shortly, not turning around. "I'll keep my hands to myself."

Sora shuffled his feet, looking down. Riku was obviously pissed at him, and with good reason. "I'm really sorry, Riku. I just thought… I mean, you're always talking about how you want to sleep with me, and I couldn't remember anything, and I was in your bed and half-naked so I just—"

"Assumed I'm the kind of guy to rape people? Sora!" Riku finally turned around to face Sora. The younger boy gulped. Riku's eyes were blazing. "I would never take advantage of anybody like that, let alone you! When we do it, and, yes, I said _when_ we do it, it's gonna be something you'll _never_ forget as long as you live! I'd never, _ever_ do something as low as to take your virginity when you weren't conscious enough to slap me!"

Sora fought the urge to crack a grin. This was a serious moment, not a time for laughing. He stared up at Riku apologetically while the older boy just glared down at him, breathing heavily from his tirade.

And then Riku was grabbing Sora's head and roughly dragging the boy's lips to his and Sora was melting and moaning and he was being shoved up against the door and Riku's hands were everywhere and he was so, so very warm—

And then Riku pulled away and stared down at Sora intensely before a brilliant smile flashed across the older boy's face.

Sora could only stare, speechless, his eyes locked with the ones that were sparkling at him so fondly from the face of the boy he lo—

Did he really? He couldn't… he didn't…

Sora slid down the door, still staring at Riku in shock. Riku's lips curled into a smirk. "See what I do to people?" he said arrogantly, tossing his hair and fluttering his eyelashes at Sora. The younger boy just continued to blink, staring at Riku.

"Sora?"

No answer.

"Sora!"

Silence.

"Sora, answer me, or the hands start wandering again." Riku looked amused as Sora immediately stood up and gave him an indignant look.

The brunette scoffed mentally. In love with Riku? Yeah right!

-

"This one or this one?" Selphie asked, holding up two dresses. One was yellow with a rose on it and the other was blue with a daisy on it. Tidus raised his head off his hand and stared, bored, at the dresses.

"How about neither. Go naked," the blond said sarcastically, staring out the window. "Selphie, I don't really care what you wear. Just pick something. The party's not until tomorrow, anyway."

Selphie pouted. "Tidy, the whole point of going to a party is to look good, so what's the point if I don't look good? And, besides, you bought them both for me so you should at least have a say!"

This got Tidus's attention. "When did I buy those?!"

Selphie looked innocent. "When you were asleep and I wanted to go shopping and your wallet mysteriously disappeared…" she said vaguely, turning around to look at the mirror and holding one dress after the other up so she could see them. "I think I like the yellow better."

"How much did those dresses cost?" Tidus chewed out, sounding angry. Selphie didn't answer. "Selphie, dammit, how much of my money did you spend—"

"I love you Tidus." She turned and fluttered her eyelashes at him, giving him that cute grin that had made him start to fall for her in the first place. He sighed.

"Yeah, I love you too. Touch my money again and I'll break your fingers," Tidus warned.

"Not if I break yours first!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah! Bring it, you pint-sized punk!"

"I'm an inch taller than you!"

"And when I wear heels?"

"Shut up."

Selphie grinned at having won the argument and turned back to the mirror as Yuffie walked into the room. "Hey Tidus. Hey Selphie."

"Hi Yuffie! Come over here! Which dress brings out my eyes?"

Tidus promptly stopped paying attention again as Yuffie helped Selphie pick out a dress, shoes, and a hairstyle. What was it with girls and shopping? He rolled his eyes and stared out the window, seeing none other than Riku, Sora, and Kairi walking down the street in front of Selphie's house.

He watched in interest as Riku leaned over to whisper something in Sora's ear that made the brunette turn bright red and smile a bit.

"Hmmm," Tidus said thoughtfully. "Very interesting."

"Hey, isn't that Riku? We should call him in here!" Selphie said. Tidus watched as she flung open the window and managed to grab her before she started screaming and flailing.

"Selphie, don't! Look at them." He pointed at Sora and Riku, who were laughing at something Kairi had said while the girl merely looked sheepish. "Man, it looks like they're dating or something!"

Selphie shrugged. "So?"

"So, don't you think that Riku's getting too attached to Sora? I mean, what if he backs out on us. This isn't even about Riku anymore. It's about getting Sora back!" Tidus explained. Selphie glared at him.

"Why would you want to get him back for something that got us together in the first place, huh? Leave Sora alone and help me pick out some earrings!"

Tidus would rather have gotten a root canal, but he didn't say so. He watched as the trio turned the corner before humming thoughtfully to himself again. "Very, very interesting."

-

Kairi was having a freak-out session of the highest degree. She had snacks. She had music. She had… a lazy Riku laying on the couch and a very angry Sora sulking upstairs. Was it her fault that, in her excitement, she'd forgotten to mention to Sora that Riku was coming?

She, personally, didn't think it really mattered considering that, for all of Sora's complaining, it seemed to her that he was more upset over the fact that he hadn't had the chance to dress better.

She hurried to lay out all the snacks, giving Riku a glare as she passed the couch. "Can't you move or do something to help?!"

Riku gave her a bored look. "Like what?" He smirked. "I could go get Sora—"

"No way! Then neither of you would come downstairs for the rest of the night. I know what you do when you're alone together!" Kairi complained, her hands on her hips. "You'll probably tie him to the bed and have your wild way with him."

"Don't give me ideas," Riku said, smirking even more. Kairi sighed, throwing her hands in the air. Riku was absolutely impossible, as she'd discovered. He was also incredibly lazy. She wasn't sure if she could put up with him for much longer.

"You know what? Go to the kitchen and get a glass bottle. The first thing we're playing when everybody arrives is Spin The Bottle," Kairi said, rubbing her temples. A devilish grin spread on Riku's face as he hopped up and dashed off towards the kitchen.

That done, Kairi grabbed the pack of Chips Ahoy cookies from the table and headed upstairs. "Sora? Sora, where are you?"

"Go away, Kairi. I'm not speaking to you ever again," came Sora's stubborn voice from inside her bedroom. Kairi tried the door, only to find it locked, and sighed.

"Sora… I've got cookies…"

There was a pause before the door slowly swung open to reveal a glaring Sora who held his hand out for the cookies that Kairi was only too happy to give him. "You play dirty."

"I know," she said, beaming. "Now, why don't you come downstairs? I'm sure Riku misses you."

Sora gave her a flat look. "I still haven't forgiven you for that. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What are you so afraid of, anyway? That Riku's going to sneak into your sleeping bag while you're asleep and molest you or something?" Kairi said with a roll of her eyes. "Come on, Sora. If you don't come downstairs, then I'm going to have to put up with him for the next half-hour until people start arriving. You can't do that to me!"

"And I thought you said Riku wasn't so bad," Sora said with a grin, leaning against the doorway. "What will I be paid for my services? I mean, I'm the victim here."

Kairi laughed. "Sora! Come on! Riku won't try anything! Not while I'm here, anyway."

"…Are we talking about the same Riku?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow. He dodged the hand that Kairi tried to slap him with and laughed. "Alright, alright, I'm coming."

Kairi grinned, satisfied, and pushed Sora down the stairs ahead of her. The brunette held tightly to his cookies and walked into the living room, where Riku was idly spinning a coke bottle around. The white-haired boy looked up, grinning when he saw Sora.

"Sora! I thought you'd died! Now, come over here. I have something to show you."

Suspicious and wary, Sora headed over, sitting across from Riku and the bottle and setting his cookies down. "What?"

Riku spun the coke bottle, watching as it came to a stop right where Sora was sitting. He smirked. "The bottle landed on you, Sora. Now I get to kiss you."

"Nuh-uh!" Sora protested, holding up his shoe. "This is what it landed on. Pucker up!"

Ignoring the wrestling and shouts of protest that followed, Kairi turned to her check list. Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, and Yuffie should be along soon. They would be staying for the party and leaving by eleven. Riku and Sora were the only ones who would actually be sleeping over.

She took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was no big deal, having more than half of the Populars in her house. No big deal whatsoever.

Riku and Sora looked up from their wrestling match when they heard the steady rhythm of Kairi banging her head against the wall and groaning. They exchanged looks.

The night promised to be an interesting one indeed.

-

By the time Tidus and Selphie arrived, with Wakka and Yuffie right behind them, Riku was seated comfortably on the couch, watching Spongebob with Sora in his lap singing the theme song in a loud off-key voice.

Tidus raised an eyebrow at the two before his attention was distracted by Kairi, who said a cheerful, "Come on in!" and ushered the couple into the living room. There wasn't much decoration other than a table full of snacks, a banner that said 'Happy 16th Birthday Kairi' and three sleeping bags set up on the floor by the TV.

Sora, upon seeing them, scrambled out of Riku's lap and onto the floor, muttering something about being heavily intoxicated. Riku merely chuckled and stood, walking over to the group.

"Hey guys. Welcome to the party," he said, giving Tidus a high-five and smiling. Tidus grinned back, wrapping an arm around Selphie's shoulder.

"Hey. Looks like you and Sora are doing well," Tidus pointed out. He blinked when Selphie shrugged his arm off her shoulder, watching in confusion as she stormed over to Kairi and struck up a conversation. "PMS."

Riku chuckled. "Too much information, thanks. There's plenty of food and crap so make yourselves at home."

Yuffie grinned slyly at him. "I see that things with you and Sora are going well. You never saw him giving Tidus that kind of attention." She was conveniently ignoring the look of doom that she was getting from the aforementioned blond.

Riku merely smirked. "No one can resist the patented Riku Charm™ for long." He winced when a pillow connected with his head from behind and turned to see Sora giving him a look. Riku smirked. "Excuse me. Someone is _dying_ for my attention."

Wakka, Yuffie, and Tidus watched as Riku walked back over to Sora and proceeded to tickle the living daylights out of the boy. Yuffie laughed. "They're so cute together!"

"Yeah, whatever." Tidus said, shrugging. "I'm going to get some food."

Wakka and Yuffie exchanged glances as he walked off. Kairi stood on the couch, clapping her hands together. "People, people. We will start with a special request game of Twister. Anybody who wants to play is welcome to play, but the game is mainly to settle a battle between Riku and Sora over who is more flexible."

"Sora's going to need to be flexible for what I plan on doing to him in weeks to come," Riku added helpfully, giving Sora a devilish look while the younger boy tried to catch his breath.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Kairi said with a cough. "Anyway, after Twister, we'll be playing the age old game – Spin the Bottle."

Wakka smirked. "That sounds like fun, ya."

"Figures you'd think so." Yuffie murmured under her breath, laughing. "Sounds like fun to me. I bet two oatmeal cookies that Riku wins Twister!"

"Five jellybeans on Sora!" Selphie added, jumping onto the couch excitedly. Tidus rolled his eyes and sat down next to her, but she refused to look at him. Kairi laughed and picked up the spinner.

"Get into position – Riku, get that perverted look off of your face – And… Left leg, green!"

Riku gave Kairi an innocent look and placed his left leg on green.

"Right hand, blue."

Sora bent over, placing his right hand on blue and completely oblivious to the fact that Riku's eyes were focused more on his lower anatomy than on the game board.

"Left hand, red."

Smirking, Riku bent over backwards and placed his left hand on red, earning a series of claps and whoops from their audience. Sora raised an eyebrow in response to Riku's challenging grin and smirked in return.

"Left leg, yellow."

Sora, the picture of innocence, stretched his leg over Riku's body to reach the yellow circle, chuckling evilly at the groan that escaped the white-haired boy's lips. Riku narrowed his eyes. It was _on_ now.

"Right hand, green."

Riku thought a moment. The green circles were all the way down where his legs were and Sora was currently perched practically on top of him. How to get to the green circles…

Sora squeaked as Riku purposely shifted under him, crawling down and placing his right hand on green. Riku mourned the loss of his compromising position under Sora and glanced over his shoulder, chuckling at the vindictive expression on the boy's face.

"Left hand, green."

Sora grinned and copied Riku's earlier move, bending over backwards and placing his left hand on green, bracing his back against Riku's leg so he wouldn't fall. Riku glared down at him, but Sora merely gave him an innocent look.

"Left hand, blue."

Riku smiled and shifted, bending over Sora's body to reach the blue circle. He smirked, their faces mere inches away from each other. He smirk deepened when he realized that Sora's breathing was getting quicker.

"I hate you," Sora muttered under his breath. Riku just smiled in return.

"Right foot, red."

Riku gulped at the positively evil look on Sora's face. He went cross-eyed for a moment as Sora moved his leg in between Riku's and touched his toe to the red circle. Adding insult to injury, Sora shifted once, then twice, and finally settled down.

Riku gritted his teeth together. This. Was. Not. Fair.

He ignored the amused chuckle that came from Kairi before she announced, "Left foot, red."

Riku shifted, momentarily going cross-eyed again, before placing his leg over Sora's and his foot on a red circle. Sora was still grinning like there was no tomorrow.

Twenty minutes later, Sora fell to the ground with a squeak and Riku was named the champion. The brunette was not amused if his glare was anything to go by. "You cheated!"

"How so?" Riku asked, blinking innocently, even though his eyes looked anything but innocent.

Sora's cheeks turned pink as he accepted a cup of sprite from Kairi and took a sip. "You… you… you _groped_ me…"

"Is it my fault that your butt was right there?" Riku mused, grinning. "I'll make it up to you tonight after Kairi falls asleep."

Sora had a choking fit.

Selphie and Yuffie clapped enthusiastically. "Good job, Riku!" they cheered, laughing. Wakka was laughing as well.

"You guys looked like you were… ahem…" Kairi said, gesturing with her hands. Sora was turning a very deep shade of red as he finally regained the ability to breath and set down his drink, dragging his sleeping bag as far away from Riku's as he could without leaving the room.

Riku smirked. "Twister is that kind of game, Kairi. Or maybe you just have a dirty mind."

The group began laughing again – all except Tidus who stood up, muttering something about using the bathroom before disappearing up the stairs. Kairi raised an eyebrow. "What's his problem?"

Selphie bristled. "Who cares? What're we playing next?"

"Uh," Kairi said, glancing the way Tidus had gone before shaking her head and continuing. "We were going to play Spin the—"

"How about Truth or Dare instead?" Selphie said shortly, cutting her off. "Somebody go get Tidus. We'll spin the bottle to decide who goes."

Seeing how obviously pissed she was, no one dared argue.

Riku brought Tidus back downstairs and they all sat in a circle. Kairi looked around at the tense atmosphere and sighed. "Um… I'll go first, I guess."

She spun the bottle, watching as it landed on Yuffie. "Truth or Dare?" Kairi asked.

Yuffie thought for a moment. "Um… Dare."

"I dare you to…" Kairi said thoughtfully. "Sneak across the street to our neighbor's house and grab a piece of laundry off their clothes line – without being seen, of course."

Yuffie smirked. "Easy."

They watched as the girl got up and walked out of the room and heard the door open and close. Wakka, Riku, Sora, and Kairi all raced to the window to watch, while Selphie stayed right where she was, glaring at Tidus, who shifted uncomfortably.

"I get the feeling you're… mad at me…" he said, eyeing her nervously. Selphie's glare didn't soften.

"What gave you that idea?" she asked in a low and angry voice.

"Why are you mad at me anyway? I didn't do anything!" Tidus protested, crossing his arms. Selphie's glare, if possible, got worse.

"Didn't do anything?! DIDN'T DO ANYTHING?! You—"

"She's coming back, she's coming back!" Selphie cut herself off and fell silent as the group returned to their seat. Yuffie re-entered the house, looking victorious.

"I did it. Except, the only thing hanging was underwear so…" She blushed and held up a pair of blue rubber ducky boxers. Everybody began laughing, with the exception of Tidus and Selphie.

"My turn, my turn!" Yuffie sang, spinning the bottle and watching as it landed on Wakka. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Wakka answered immediately, not willing to go outside and put his hands on anyone's underwear.

Yuffie grinned. "Who're you planning on asking to the dance?"

This question actually managed to break the steely glare Selphie was giving Tidus. She turned and faced Wakka, looking curious. "This I want to know. Who, Wakka?"

Wakka's ears were turning pink and he looked at the carpet. "Um… well… you know that brunette in Mr. Hotaka's class?"

"Yeah…" Yuffie said thoughtfully. "I think I've heard of her. Lulu, right?"

Wakka nodded. "I'm asking her."

Selphie and Yuffie exchanged glances, then collapsed in a fit of laughter. Even Kairi was laughing, knowing of the Goth girl that Wakka was referring to. Riku gave Sora an amused look while the brunette merely blushed and looked away.

Wakka coughed. "Anyway, my turn," he said as he spun the bottle, watching it spin once and twice before it landed on Selphie. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Selphie answered immediately, her eyes back on Tidus now that her amusement was over.

Wakka looked between the two and raised an eyebrow. "I dare you to give Tidus a big kiss to show him how you're feeling right now."

Selphie looked at him. "Kiss him to show him how I'm feeling, huh? No problem." Everyone watched as she stood up, brushing her hands against her dress, and stalked over to Tidus with a smirk on her face.

She dropped down in his lap, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and crushing his lips against hers. Tidus turned a very bright red and stared wide-eyed as Selphie continued the kiss until Tidus finally relaxed and kissed her back. He'd just slipped his tongue into her mouth with an evil grin spread on Selphie's face…

And she bit him. Hard.

"OW! DAMMIT!"

Selphie scoffed and stood up, watching in grim satisfaction as Tidus blew on his tongue, which was starting to swell. She turned on her heel and stalked back to her seat. "That is how I'm feeling. My turn."

Tidus looked at her, a scared look on his face, which she ignored. Selphie spun the bottle, watching as it spun around and landed on Tidus. "Truth or dare?" she asked in a neutral voice.

Tidus stared at her. "Um… truth?"

"How do you really feel about Sora?" she chewed out quickly. "Speak up! We're waiting! TALK MIHADA!"

Tidus twitched. "I changed my mind. Dare."

"Coward," Selphie muttered under her breath. "Fine. You want a dare? I dare you to…" She looked around at the circle of kids who were all looking at Selphie apprehensively. The girl was unpredictable. Her gaze landed on Sora, who gulped. Selphie smirked. "I dare you to show us all how you really feel. Kiss Sora."

Three people gasped in surprise – Tidus, Sora, and Riku.

-

**Riku:** WHAT?! Why wasn't I told about this?!

**Slashy:** Because you would have objected to it.

**Sora:** I don't want to kiss Tidus! He has Popular germs!

**Tidus:** And I don't want to kiss Sora! He's got Riku all over him.

**Riku:** ::smirk:: In more ways than one.

**Slashy:** Didn't need to hear that. Anyway, what will be will be. Que sera sera. Now shut up and pucker up, you babies.

**Tidus and Sora:** ::cry::

**Slashy:** Oh stop whining, Tidus. I was thisclose to having Selphie kick you in the balls for your cruelty, but then you would be in no shape to kiss Sora!

**Riku:** ::sulking in the corner:: My only consolation is that next chapter, I finally get some action.

**Slashy:** Emphasis on the word some. See you soon, lovely reviewer people!


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Kairi would have died. In, like, the first three seconds. No, seriously. A giant fish would have hopped out of the ocean and eaten her. And then Sora would have been all, "Thank God." And Riku would have been all, "Forget that bitch, let's go screw." And then Sora would have giggled and said, "Okay."

And then later, they'd go inside the cave and scratch Kairi's picture off the wall, replace it with Riku's, and draw a paopu fruit between their little picture thingies. And then Riku would have given Sora a paopu and Sora would NOT have thrown it in the water.

And then after Kingdom Hearts, the last thing Riku said would NOT have been 'Take care of her'. It would have been 'Sora, I love you.' And Sora would have said 'I love you too. I'll find you again, Riku! And then we'll make babies!' And Riku would say 'We're male, you idiot' and Sora would pause and then say 'We'll adopt, dammit'

And the world would shake it's heads at Sora's stupidity and cry as Riku goes bye bye.

Squaresoft, you _bastards_.

**Author's Note - ****1/17/05** Hm. So. Riku and Sora. Mwah. Many of you were so outraged that Tidus was getting some from Sora. But don't worry. Sora belongs to Riku. I mean, come on! Riku gave Sora a paopu fruit on the land bridge in Kingdom Hearts. Of course, Sora idiotically THREW IT IN THE WATER but, hey, we're not holding that against him. ::ignores noises coming from her bedroom:: Or, at least, I'm not since Sora _claims_ he went back to fish it out later.

**Addendum - ****1/18/05** Okay, you are so all on crack. Two hundred reviews? For me? That is more reviews than I've ever gotten in my life. In return, I promise to marry you all.

::silence::

Oh fine. My self-esteem just dropped a few levels right there. Fine. Riku promises to auction off… Things at the end of this chapter. Is that good enough for you all? Also I got new fanart. And need to update my website. And go take my Spanish midterm. Oy vey.

**Thanks to:**

Addmoose2004, Lindsay, Shishi-can, Ink2, lymerai, bob the builder, sinister hope, Ren, fire-bubbles, greyspark, …, chibi-neko, sakura, Jenni Sunshine:Jenni Moonlight, teizonriku, ChibiNekoSakura, RyuichiFreak, Mujyakina-Hitokoroshiya, Ivin Artemis Draconis, cammy-world666, The Writer, you fools, Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu, LiLi-Sama, Queen of the Paperclips, kuramasgirl13, Ickis Krumm, bom –bom –chika –chika, Griever Weapon, LovelyRikaru, Koharu-chan, KuroiItami, Rezuna: Kitsune Of Ice

**Replies:**

_Insanehikari_ – Okay, you are, like, officially my second favorite reviewer. You make me giggle. And you're only second place because, well, Kari writes and draws for me. My love for her is purely mutualism based. Really.

Anyway, yes, Sora is a perv. It's just hidden deep down there. You can't forget that competitive streak, you know. And, yes, I made Kairi cool in this. I hate her with a firy burning passion, yes, but Kari likes her and she reads my chapters beforehand. And, besides, those stories with Kairi The Bitch made her seem totally out of character.

And, Sora's Dad. ::smirks:: He's in the hospital silly. But not for long.

_Haven-Hikari_ – Kari, my love! ::squee:: Look! I wrote! And there was kissing and losing of clothes! Aren't you proud of me? Of course, you know what's going to happen in the story already, but, still. Aren't you so proud?

Tidus is an idiot. And a pack-mule with a fanny pack. I mean, honestly, whose idea was it to draw Tidus with a _fanny pack_? He just lost, like, a quarter of respect in my eyes. But don't despair! He'll get his head out of his bum when he realizes how miserable he made Riku and Sora.

And Selphie… Selphie will get her revenge. She _will_. ::evil laugh::

**Date Begun:** January 12, 2005

**Date Posted:** January 20, 2005

**Chapter 9:** But So What?

-

**Cory:** I love poetry now! You know, I could be a poet: There once was a boy named Cory.

**Eric:** Who now has an interesting story!

**Cory:** He learned about kissin'...

**Eric:** And all he was missin'...

**Shawn:** When he and Topanga made out!

**Cory:** Can you say summer school?  
-Boy Meets World

-

"You want me to put my lips on that?" Tidus said seconds later, giving Selphie a glare that could have made even the hardest criminal shudder. Selphie, however, didn't flinch.

"You heard me. Kiss him. Like you mean it," she said, raising an eyebrow. "We're all waiting."

Tidus looked at Sora, who had the appearance of a deer caught in headlights. Then the brunette's eyes fluttered closed and he started praying. A scowl crossed Tidus's face. "Fine. I'll kiss him. Since you seem to want it so bad."

He got up, walking over to Sora, who was still muttering prayers under his breath. Ignoring the look he was getting from Riku, Tidus knelt down in front of Sora, put his hands on the boy's shoulders, and kissed him.

Sora's entire body froze up. _Mouth wash__… disinfectant… Mommy… were_ among the thoughts racing through the brunette's head. He tried to break off the kiss; maybe he could wipe his mouth off while everybody was clapping for Tidus.

But Tidus wouldn't let him move. Tidus' hands clamped tightly over Sora's shoulders, almost hard enough to bruise, and he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue between Sora's slightly parted lips.

Sora whimpered helplessly. No amount of mouthwash would get rid of this.

When it seemed as if there was no end in sight, and breathing was becoming a problem, Tidus finally pulled back, panting, but smirking. He looked over at Selphie, who was pale-faced, her mouth drawn into an angry line. "Happy now?"

Instead of answering, Selphie stood up and stormed from the room. Yuffie shot Tidus a dirty look and ran after her.

Tidus casually flopped back into his seat, glancing at Sora out of the corner of his eye. The younger boy was wiping his lips furiously with the end of Riku's shirt. The white-haired boy wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulder and glared at Tidus.

"Interesting," Tidus said to himself, grabbing the bottle. He spun the bottle, watching as it came to a halt on Sora. "Truth or dare, Sora?"

"Truth…" Sora answered hesitantly, his face flushed and slightly guilty-looking. As if Tidus hadn't seen him wiping his mouth like he'd been kissed by a mud monster.

"How do you really feel about Riku?"

Sora looked around at Riku, Kairi, Wakka, and Tidus. Then he blushed and looked down. "I changed my mind. Dare."

Tidus laughed. "Oh yeah? I dare you to kiss Riku. Like you mean it," he said, imitating Selphie's words from before in a mocking tone. Sora recognized the challenge and his eyes snapped up to meet Tidus'. It was obvious that Sora's competitive spirit was getting the best of him.

Riku raised an eyebrow.

A second later, Sora had tackled Riku and was furiously kissing the boy as if his life depended on it. Riku was pleasantly surprised for a moment before his instincts kicked in.

He had a show to beat.

A small groan was all the warning Sora got before he found himself being pinned to the ground, and a hot mouth descended upon his own.

_I wanted to be the seme, dammit, Sora_ thought before he felt Riku's hands gently massaging his sides, getting him to relax, and all coherent thought flew out of his head. Sora's eyes clamped shut and he made a small noise in the back of his throat that Riku decided he loved then and there.

Riku's kiss was hot and insistent. He pressed another firm kiss to Sora's mouth before diving lower, to Sora's neck, and nibbling as if he expected to find candy hidden somewhere under Sora's skin. Sora arched his back, his breath coming out in short pants.

"Ri-hee-ku…" Sora groaned articulately. His hands, of their own free will, fisted in Riku's shirt, pulling the older boy closer. Both released a simultaneous moan as their hips bumped together.

They seemed completely unaware that there were three other people in the room.

Riku drew back suddenly, taking deep heaving breaths. Sora opened his eyes, locking gazes with Riku, staring deep into the eyes of the boy he loved. And then Riku tugged off Sora's shirt, his mouth latching on to the newly revealed skin, and Sora lost the ability to think once again.

If he were more self-aware, he would have been embarrassed. He might have even tried to stop Riku.

But what Riku was doing with his hands and mouth just felt so good – Sora found it quite hard to focus on anything else but getting more of the delicious warmth that was pooling in his stomach. Riku aligned their bodies, shifted a bit and—

"Oh!" Sora cried, his heart rate increasing. Riku, seemingly content with this, pulled away, placing one last, chaste kiss on Sora's lips. The younger boy opened his eyes again, giving Riku a stare that was so innocent and so trusting that Riku couldn't resist the urge to kiss him again.

"If you two are done," came a voice that Sora vaguely recognized as Kairi's, "maybe you'd like to join us in the bedroom for strip poker?"

Wait… Kairi?!

And suddenly, Sora remembered that he'd let Riku strip him and molest him… while people were watching!

His face turned an interesting shade of red and he shoved Riku off him, stammering excuses and apologies to Kairi under his breath.

Kairi laughed. "Don't worry. Tidus cleared out when Riku pinned you down and the rest of us left after the moaning began."

Sora turned even redder. Riku just smirked.

"Anyway," Kairi continued. Sora's eyebrow went up when he realized she'd donned a jacket, mittens, and scarf, as well as two pairs of socks, and her shoes. "Meet us all upstairs in the bedroom. The game's about to start."

Sora watched her walk away in confused silence. Game? What game? He hadn't really been paying attention to anything before Kairi's embarrassing statement. He looked over at Riku, who had that 'cat that caught the canary' look in his eyes.

"You know, I've always loved poker. Best game in the world. Used to play it all the time," Riku said in a nonchalant voice, a smirk on his face. "It's even better when it's strip poker."

Sora froze. Strip poker? Why did Kairi have to pick something she KNEW he was horrible at? Was the entire world involved in a conspiracy to keep his face as red as it possibly could get?!

Noticing that Sora was very close to having a heart attack, Riku leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Sora's lips, pulling away when the brunette whimpered and relaxed. Riku smirked, then began heading out of the room.

"Hurry up. Oh," he added as an afterthought. "You may want to put your shirt back on first."

-

By the time Sora got upstairs, everyone was arranged in a circle on the floor with the exception of Selphie, who was sitting on the bed, looking miserable. Sora felt a twinge of guilt and walked over. "Ah… Selphie, can I talk to you?"

Selphie gave him a piercing stare, but then nodded, following Sora into the hallway and folding her arms. Her eyes were red and puffy – Evidence that she'd been crying. Sora swallowed.

"I'm… I'm sorry about the, um, the kiss," Sora said awkwardly, wondering if she'd be insulted if he mentioned that her boyfriend was a horrible kisser and that all he could think about during the kiss was mouthwash.

Selphie gave him a grateful smile. "Oh, don't worry about me. It wasn't your fault, anyway. I'm the one who dared him." Selphie glanced at her feet. "I always knew Tidus liked you, you know. But I figured, hey, maybe I had a small chance. Guess I was wrong."

Sora rubbed his arm uncomfortably. "Sorry."

"And you know what's even worse?" Selphie continued, looking up at Sora with a slightly faker smile. "Tomorrow's our one year anniversary. So much for that."

"You should really try and be more positive," Sora said in a passive voice, noticing Tidus standing behind the door and listening to them. "I mean, you're pretty and you're really nice. If I wasn't gay, I might like you." This got a laugh. Sora smiled wider. "So, come on. Tidus will come to his senses, so, when he does, make him beg and buy you a yacht!"

Selphie beamed. "Thanks Sora."

Sora scratched the back of his head and beamed back. "No problem. It's just weird to see you not smiling. And besides, it's kind of my fault in a way, I guess."

"Either way," Selphie said with a smile. "I think I'd better head home. I don't feel like staying here anymore. Tell them I left for me?"

"I will," Sora said with a nod. Selphie started past him and Sora was about to go back in to the party when he heard her call.

"Um… Sora?" Selphie's voice came, sounding hesitant. Sora turned to face her and raised an eyebrow.

"Hm?"

Selphie hesitated again, biting her lip. "You know… he never mentioned anything to me but… Riku really likes you."

Sora fought the urge to snort. "The only thing Riku's interested in is getting laid."

"No," Selphie said, shaking her head. "I mean, sure, maybe he didn't like you at first. But I can see it in the way he looks at you and when he talks about you… Riku's in love with you, Sora. Even though he probably doesn't realize it yet."

"Look, Selphie, thanks and everything, but I don't think—"

"And I think you like him, too. I think you two would make a very… nice couple. And I'm not just saying that to get you out of the way so I can have my Tidy back," Selphie said with a grin. Sora couldn't help but laugh. Selphie smiled at him again, then continued down the stairs.

Sora waited until he heard the door open and close before turning around, noting in amusement that Tidus was no longer hiding behind the door.

He walked back into the bedroom, glancing at Riku out of the corner of his eye. The white-haired boy was saying something to Yuffie, a big smirk on his face. It seemed inconceivable to Sora that Riku could ever possibly like him that way.

And yet a little voice in the back of his mind was calling him a big Class A idiot.

But Sora tended to ignore that voice for the most part.

He dropped down next to Kairi, directly across the circle from Riku, who looked up and gave Sora a smile that made the brunette slightly weak in the knees. He swallowed and the feeling passed when Riku turned back to Yuffie again.

"I'll deal," Kairi announced, shuffling the cards and shooting Sora a mischievous look. Sora received his hand and looked at it. Two 3s, a 5, a 10, and a Jack. Joy.

He sighed as the rest of the kids examined their hands. He had always been horrible at strip poker. He should have opted to go home like Selphie had. Of course, Kairi would kill him the next morning, but at least he'd get to keep his clothes on!

Why was it he was always losing articles of clothing whenever Riku happened to be around?

"Alright," Riku said after a bit. "I'm trading in two cards." He tossed two cards towards Kairi, who slid the cards to the bottom of the deck and passed him two more. Yuffie and Tidus also traded in some cards; Wakka looked content with what he had.

"Four cards," Sora said in a dull voice, handing Kairi the cards and taking the ones she handed back. Now he had a Jack, a 9, a Queen, a 4 and another 3. There weren't any matches for him to win with, either. He pouted.

"Everybody ready yet?" Riku asked impatiently. He had that look in his eyes again and was looking directly at Sora as if he knew that the younger boy couldn't win if he tried.

Sora whimpered and covered his face with his hands while everybody nodded their affirmative.

"Alright. Unless any of you can beat a Straight Flush, then everybody better start taking off some clothes," Riku said, putting his cards down face-up so everyone could see the sequence of Diamonds he had.

There was a collective groan.

Kairi pulled off her left shoe and tossed it into the middle. Wakka tossed in his head band. In went Tidus's sock and Yuffie's bracelet. Sora, suddenly wishing he'd wore layers like Kairi, tossed in his sock and blushed.

Riku smirked and pushed his cards in Kairi's direction. This was _fun_.

-

After a few more rounds, the losings were as a follows:

Tidus: His necklace, his shirt, and both his socks.

Kairi: Her jacket, her socks, her shoes, her necklace, and her pajama top.

Yuffie: Her headband, her socks, and her shorts.

Wakka: His necklace, his socks, his shoes, and his cap.

Riku: Zip. Nada. Not a single item had moved from Riku's body to the huge pile of clothes in the center of the circle. In fact, Riku had taken it upon himself to make sure that everyone fairly contributed whenever they lost.

"Come on, Sora. We can't continue playing if you don't take off your pants," Riku drawled, fixing Sora with an evil smirk that bordered on cruel. Sora, however, sat stubbornly on the floor, his arms crossed, his eyes determined.

"No. Way," he enunciated clearly. Sora himself had lost everything but his pants and his boxers and he sure as hell wasn't taking off his pants. Kairi giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, while everyone else merely gave Sora amused looks.

Riku was the most amused of all. "Sora, the pants have to come off eventually."

"No. No, they don't," Sora insisted.

"Yes, they do. We can't finish the game if you don't. Take. Them. Off."

"Well, then, I guess the game is over, because there's no way I'm gonna—RIKU!" Sora squealed as the older boy suddenly launched across the circle and pinned Sora to the floor, pulling off Sora's pants in one swift motion and tossing them over his shoulder to join the other clothes. Sora struggled, bucking his hips to try and throw Riku off him. However, all he succeeded in doing was make Riku very…

…Excited.

Riku took a deep, shaky breath, and got off Sora, walking back to his side of the circle. His eyes were at least three shades darker and Sora wasn't sure he liked the hungry look in the white-haired teen's eyes. "Next round," Riku said in a low voice, not taking his eyes off Sora.

Kairi fought the urge to smirk. "Yes, sir."

She dealt the cards. Sora glanced down at his hand and paled. Not a single match or anything that could help him win this thing! And he had nothing left to give, except…

He stared down at his black boxers with the red hearts all over there.

There. Was. No. Freakin'. Way.

"Um, you know, I think I'm backing out of this round," Sora said in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice. He set his cards on the floor face-down. "I'm kind of tired, and—"

"If you forfeit, you still have to take them off, Sora, so don't bother," Kairi said. It was at times like these that Sora _hated_ how she knew him so well.

He picked his cards back up again slowly, glancing up. Riku was giving him _that look_ again.

Sora felt a shiver go up his spine and swallowed, looking at his cards again. He really wished Riku wouldn't look at him like that. It made him feel like, if he let his guard down, he'd get pounced on and molested.

Even more disturbingly, Sora was starting to mind that feeling less and less.

He shook those thoughts out of his head, tuning in just in time to hear Riku say, "Everybody ready?" Sora's heart started pounding. How was he going to get out of this? There was no way he was going to stand butt-naked in front of Yuffie, Wakka, Kairi, Tidus, and Riku. Especially not the last three. Kairi would be scarred, God knows what would run through Tidus's mind, and Riku would probably rape him.

With his subconscious consent, but _still_.

It would be very, very _wrong_ of Sora to risk such disasters by removing his underwear.

He was contemplating whether or not he'd be able to get to the front door before Riku tackled him and ripped his boxers off – and where exactly he could go if he did, in fact, get outside – when he saw a hand flash in front of his face. Sora blinked and looked at Kairi, who was raising an eyebrow at him. "You're the only one who hasn't shown your cards, Sora. We're all waiting."

While she said this, Kairi was in the midst of removing her pajama bottoms. It was something Sora did not want to see ever in his life at risk of going blind and/or having horrible images of his best friend in nothing but her bra and panties imprinted onto his retinas forever and ever, so he turned his head to the side.

Wakka, Yuffie, and, of course, Riku, were safe this round. Tidus had forked over his pants, leaving him in a pair of white boxers covered in basketballs. Kairi tossed her PJ bottoms in and looked at Sora expectantly.

Riku smirked. "You lost again, didn't you, So-ra?"

Sora blushed indignantly, but couldn't deny it. He stared at the interesting marble shade carpeting.

Riku's smirk increased. "You know what that means. Take 'em off, Sora." He laughed when Sora shook his head vehemently. "Do you want me to come over there and take them off for you? Like I did with your pants?"

Sora looked at Riku through narrowed eyes and said nothing. He was sure that if he did attempt to speak, it would come out as a string of very un-Sora-like curses. So he merely hopped to his feet. "I… am going to the kitchen to eat cookies and pretend all of you don't exist."

As he was about to make his exit, a hand clamped onto his own, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to see Riku looking at him that way and smiling as though Christmas had come early.

"Now, Sora…" Riku said in a low, husky voice that made Sora's breathing speed up instinctively. "If you won't take them off willingly, I may have to… persuade you… which might lead to other things… After all, I did say I was going to sleep with you, didn't I?"

Sora gave Riku the Sora Harada Evil Glare of Doom™.

Seconds later, Riku's vision was clouded by black satin. He just managed to rip Sora's boxers off his face in time to catch Sora's naked behind as the boy stormed out the door. After a few seconds, a door at the end of the hallway slammed shut with enough force to cause a picture to fall from the wall behind Riku.

The white-haired boy chuckled and turned back to the group.

Yuffie and Wakka were collapsed in laughter. Kairi was covering her eyes and whimpering 'See no evil, see no evil, see no nekkid Sora' over and over again. And Tidus… well, Tidus was cleaning up the mess that had been made by the smashing picture frame.

Riku clapped his hands together and sighed in contentment. "Alright, Tidus, Wakka, Yuffie, get out. Kairi, please re-dress yourself before my eyes start burning and I am forced to get glasses."

He ignored the fact that sweet, innocent Kairi had just given him the finger, and turned around, walking out the door.

He was halfway to the bathroom at the end of the hall when he suddenly thought of something and ran back to the room. "As an afterthought, because I lost nothing besides my sock, I get to keep one article of all of your clothes. I'm keeping Kairi's shoe, Tidus's necklace, Yuffie's headband and Wakka… man, put your clothes back on. My eyes. They buuuurn."

Wakka rolled his eyes as Riku disappeared again. The white-haired teen knocked on the bathroom door quietly, pressing his ear against the door to listen. "Sora?"

"I've gone to find myself. If I get back before I return, keep me here," came a monotonous voice from the other side of the door. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Sora, why are you hiding? It's me!" Riku said, leaning against the wall.

"You just answered your own question!" Sora replied. Riku heard a 'click' and mentally cursed his own stupidity. He could have barged in already?! Damn.

"So-ra," Riku said in a sing-songy voice. "Come on out, Sora. I don't bite." He smirked. "Not unless you want me to, that is."

There was a resounding silence following this statement. Fearing that Sora had died, Riku frowned thoughtfully and looked at the lock. He walked back to the bedroom, watching for a moment as the now-clothed occupants gathered their things (with the exception of Kairi, who was sitting on the bed, muttering something about what she was going to do with only one shoe). He walked over to Kairi and held out his hand.

"Let me borrow your hair pin," Riku drawled in a lazy voice. Kairi looked up at him in confusion, but when he offered no explanation, she merely sighed and pulled a pin out of her hair. Riku took it and smiled. "Thank you. Now," he turned to Tidus, Wakka, and Yuffie. "I thought I kicked you out. Freeloaders."

He walked past them, waiting for the three of them to walk down the stairs and until he heard the slamming of the door. Then he headed back to the bathroom.

"Sora?"

No reply.

"I guess we're doing this the hard way." Riku stuck the hairpin into the lock, jiggling it around. It was one of those basic locks – sticking a piece of metal in the right place and applying the right amount of pressure was sure to…

_Click_.

Satisfied, Riku pocketed the hairpin and opened the bathroom door. He smirked when he saw that Sora was sitting on the floor in front of the sink, in typical Pout Position, wearing nothing but a yellow towel.

The brunette was leaving very little to Riku's _overactive_ imagination.

Sora's eyes widened and he backed up until he was pressed against the wall and stood up, staring at Riku as if he was the devil incarnate.

Which, for Sora, he kind of was.

Riku stepped further into the bathroom, the smirk not leaving his face. "So-ra is being a very bad boy today, isn't he?"

Sora swallowed, his eyes flittering about the bathroom. It was obvious he was thinking. Then, suddenly, the scared look left his face and it was replaced by a predatory stare not unlike the one Riku usually had.

Confused, Riku dropped his smirk and just blinked. What was Sora up to?

"Sora is being a _very_ bad boy," Sora cooed in a seductive voice. Riku stared. "I think you should punish him. Hard. And repeatedly."

Riku blinked again. Was Sora really suggesting what he thought he was suggesting…? He stepped closer to Sora, still looking slightly confused. He was, however, never one to turn down the opportunity to molest sweet, innocent Sora.

Sora moved away from the wall until he was directly in front of Riku, trailing his fingers up the older boy's chest and smiling when he got a shiver. His hand reached up, brushing his fingers through Riku's hair and leaning close enough so that their lips were mere inches apart.

"S-Sora…" Riku murmured. Sora was delighted at the reaction he was getting. "What on earth are you—"

Sora smirked. "Nothing. Just… this!" He ducked around Riku while the older boy was distracted and darted out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom. With another slam and a soft click, Sora was safe – and so was his virginity.

It took Riku a whole minute to realize what happened and another minute to get himself under control. Then he smiled.

Looks like Sora wasn't so innocent after all.

-

Once Sora had been properly clothed (and Kairi had had a nice, long round of laughter about the whole situation) the three found themselves back down in the living room, setting up their sleeping bags.

Riku was busy placing his sleeping bag in the corner farthest from the window when he heard a small noise and turned to see Sora dragging his sleeping bag out of the room. He smiled. "Sora, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" asked Sora, who was now dressed in a simple t-shirt with pajama bottoms. "I'm moving my sleeping bag as far away from yours as possible. Like upstairs."

"Oh no you're not," Kairi interrupted. "I don't want to wake up and find that Riku's snuck upstairs and you guys were getting it on in my bed. No way. _I'm_ sleeping upstairs. The two of you are sleeping in here."

Sora's eyes widened considerably. "Kairi! You can't seriously be considering leaving me _alone_ with him, are you? He'll… he'll molest me in my sleep!"

Riku smirked and said nothing in defense of himself.

"Better down here than in my bedroom, don't you think?" Kairi said sweetly, taking the sleeping bag from Sora and leaving the room.

Sora suddenly became claustrophobic.

Alone.

In a tiny living room.

With….

"RIKU!" Sora squealed as he was suddenly pressed up against the wall, with Riku's gaze burning into his own. Sora gulped. "Uh… um… Riku…"

Riku's reply was to press his lips against Sora in a fierce, hungry, desperate kiss. Sora melted immediately, clinging to the front of Riku's shirt. Riku pulled away, breathing heavily and rested his forehead against Sora's.

Sora slowly opened his eyes, trying to catch his breath. "Riku… what are you doing…?"

"Well," Riku answered, leaning down to nip at Sora's neck and smirking at the strangled moan he got in response. "Since _someone_ left me hanging in the bathroom," he lapped at Sora's pulse point, attempting to leave a mark. "You tease." He pressed his lips to Sora's again. "I'm a little bit… frustrated right now."

Sora slid down the wall and to the floor, with Riku right after him. The older boy pinned Sora to the carpeting, trapping Sora's arms above his head. "Therefore… I'm going to punish you. Hard. And repeatedly. Right. _Now_."

Sora whimpered. "But I don't want to be punished. I'd like to _keep_ my virginity, thank you very much." Riku busied himself with lightly kissing Sora's earlobe, causing the younger boy to shiver. "Riku, are you listening to me?"

"Maybe. Why? Are you saying something important?" Riku murmured distractedly, one hand sliding along Sora's side to the bottom of his shirt.

"Riku!" Sora pouted, pulling one arm out of Riku's grip and smacking his hand away. "Pay attention!"

Riku blinked, pulling back a bit to look at Sora and releasing the brunette's hands. "Only one thing helps my concentration. So why are your clothes still on?"

Sora gave Riku a flat look. "Get off me, you hormonal pin-headed slave to your libido." He said in a monotone voice. Riku developed selective hearing and didn't hear the request. Sora sighed. "Riku—"

Of course, since Riku's attention was on slipping Sora's shirt over his head, anything the brunette said was lost.

"Geez, you two don't waste a moment do you?" Kairi's voice rang out from the doorway. Riku and Sora looked up to see the girl standing there with her hands on her hips and an amused expression on her face. "When I said that the living room was okay for molestation, I wasn't serious."

"Tell him that," Sora said, pouting. Riku got off of Sora and stood, giving Kairi a look that plainly said 'I am going to poison your Coco Puffs'. Sora, relieved and yet oddly disappointed, hopped to his feet. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah, I wanted my shoe back." Kairi walked over to Riku and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, what are you going to do with just one shoe, anyway? And, besides, they're my favorite pair."

"I'm going to sell your shoe on e-bay," Riku said flatly. "Twice today I could have gotten laid, and guess who interrupted both times?"

Kairi gave him a cute look. "Me?"

"Yes. You," Riku continued. "Therefore, I am selling your shoe on e-bay. And poisoning your food. Because, thanks to you—"

"My virginity is intact and I couldn't be happier. Bless you, Kairi," Sora said, grabbing Kairi's hand and pumping it up and down enthusiastically. "I will buy you new shoes for Christmas or something. Please, feel free to interrupt at any time."

Kairi laughed. "Sora, your entire body's screaming 'I want Riku so bad'. Why do you try to hide it?" She shook her head, pulling her hand out of Sora's grip and looking at Riku. "My shoe?"

Riku gave her a dry look. Kairi sighed. "Fine. Be that way. I hope you never get any as long as you live!"

Before Riku could say something, she'd dashed up the stairs. He turned, noticing that Sora was already snuggled up in his sleeping bag, facing away from Riku. He walked over, kneeling down next to the boy.

"Sora?" A snore was his reply. Riku blinked. "Damn, you can fall asleep fast." His amused look faded into a fond one as he watched the brunette sleep. Subconsciously, he brushed his fingers through Sora's messy hair. "You're just so… cute."

"…Chicken…" Sora snorted in his sleep. "Yummy."

Riku chuckled. "And you never cease to amaze me. I guess that's why I…" He paused mid-sentence, eyes widening.

What had he been about to say?

"I guess that's why…" Riku swallowed."I love you."

-

**The Special I-Got-200-Reviews-Hip-Hooray Kingdom Hearts Auction**

_Starring Riku and Sora_

_Guest Appearances by __Cloud, __Leon__, and Slashy_

**Sora:** Hello everyone!

**Riku:** What the fuck was that!?!?!? Why the hell did we have to end it here?

**Sora:** ::sigh:: Thank God

**Riku:** You know what? I'll throw the next game so you can see my sexy body.

**Sora:** ::blushes:: You are so full of yourself.

**Riku:** You're just in denial.

**Sora:** I AM NOT IN DENIAL!!!

**Riku:** Denying denial….

**Sora:** You're hopeless….

**Riku:** You're one to talk!

**Slashy:** People. Focus. Auction, remember?

**Sora:** Oh right! So, what are we auctioning off first?

**Riku:** ::holds up item one:: This! Kairi's shoe! We'll start the bidding at two reviews!

**Slashy:** Guys, they can't pay in reviews. They can only review once.

**Riku:** Oh, well, then, screw this. I'm out of here. Come Sora.

**Sora:** Nuh uh! If I come with you, I'll get molested! STOP MOLESTING ME!

**Riku and Slashy:** You say this as if you don't enjoy it.

**Sora:** ::self-righteously goes and pouts in the corner::

**Cloud:** Hey! What about us?!

**Leon** Yeah, you've been completely ignoring us for the past two chapters. The people want to know!

**Slashy:** ::filing nails:: Oh, I'm sorry. Were you saying something important?

**Cloud: …**Evil woman.

**Slashy:** I love you, too, dearie! Okay, so bored now. Ask me things and review more and I will adopt you all!

**Riku: …**Run! Run fast!

**Sora:** Tell them to stop molesting me! ::cries::


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts, instead of saying 'Take care of her', Riku would have said 'As soon as possible, set Kairi on fire so there will be no more spreading of the crap that is the Sora/Kairi fandom and then go wait for me in the Traverse Town Hotel so I can molest you' and Sora would have said 'Yes, my love' and the people would have rejoiced, except for the fact that Riku would still be locked behind the door with Mickey. Obviously, I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**Author's Note:** You love me! You really really love me! Wah, your kind words make me cry! They make Sora cry too since your kind words are mostly about how he should lose his virginity. But I told you people – Not till Chapter 14! But, hey, in Chapter, like, twelve, Sora gets to be seme for a small moment. A very small moment. But not as small as last chapter. And, guess what? If ya'll go to my profile, you can now read my livejournal. Oh yeah. XD

**Thanks to:**

PlayingWithFire, thelilchibi Raye, Dagger, chib-neko-sora, m, Ivin Artemis Draconis, Griever Weapon, minamotogirl, XxX Chains XxX, Hikkix2, Riku Ickis Krumm, teizonriku, Kiki-sama, Mijyakina-Hitokoroshiya, Fire-Bubbles, ..., somewhatcrazyhappyperson, Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu, Lovely Rikaru, addmoose2004, The Writer, you fools, xxphatxbaybeexx, kuramasgirl13, greyspark, Weeble Wobble Chic, Tama-Kitsune, Reina-183, Riku's gurl, lordkagome (I think), ChibiNekoSakura, WhiteLightning, Khdude, thekatgirl, kitten4ever303, squee, Rikku Rinku,

**Short Replies:**

Xeora and LiLi-Sama – I update since I don't want to be eaten. Hee.  
senrae– Chapter 14, hun.  
KHlover – Nope.  
Janina – Oh yes he will.

**Long Replies:**

_Salsa_ – Darling! The one who emailed me and sent me fanart! You have a special place in my heart! Between Riku and Sora fanfiction and sugar is you! Dark and scary Mary Sue days? You poor thing! You should see a psychiatrist about that. Of course, this is coming from a girl who once wrote an Inuyasha fanfiction about me going into the Inuyasha world and kicking Inuyasha over and over and over…

Ahem.

Yes, Sora sends out very mixed signals, doesn't he? He's trying to convince himself he doesn't want Riku, when we all know he does. We can just say he's in deep denial. Or stupid. Or both!

Also, Sora hates you. But thanks you for the cookies.

-

_Lymerai_ – You reviewed me twice! You have a special place in my heart too. Between **Salsa** and books. Gotta love the books. But you reviewed me twice AND offered to marry me, so I love you! Can the flowers be, like, white or something? Me no likey pink.

And, um, the religion dedicated to me? I never wanted my own religion (I'm agnostic in case anyone's wondering:p ). How about my own language? Like pig latin and Al Bhed, only better! Yeah! I want my own language!

And maybe a yacht. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Let's be friends and have sleepovers and do each other's hair!

-

_bOb__ the bUilder'_ – I know them! Look for me in room 28B if you can avoid the people running around with sharp pointy objects. The men in white suits are my friends! And really really hot! And, look, you can bounce against the padded walls and not hurt yourself!

Hee. Now, now, be nice to Kairi -being a hypocrite- she's a good person. Really.

Actually, I want her to die for all the cutesy moments she and Sora had in the game when Riku wasn't around, but, hey, she's cool here and that's all that matters. Right?

-

_cammy-world666_ – Yes. A little known fact: Sora sucks at strip poker. Try saying THAT three times fast. But, hey, Riku didn't mind the free show. And I'm sure you didn't mind it either, now did you? Wink wink. Nudge nudge.

Kairi is there to keep Sora from losing his virginity until Chapter Fourteen. She and the plot are working together to make Riku miserable.

Riku always knew she was a double agent. Sora knew and didn't care.

-

_The Random Inventor_ – Oh Sora is very cute. Everybody sees it. I mean, look at that messy hair and that pout and those big blue eyes and… I digress. I'm glad I have converted you. Nobody should miss out on the cuteness that is Sora.

I feel so special now. All these praises and cheers and stuff. Makes me blush. -blushes- I'm glad you like it. I do so love to play around with Riku and Sora! Sora's very funny.

-pets Cloud- I had to beat my friend off him in order to use him in this story (We have an agreement that Leon is mine and Cloud is hers. We couldn't decide on Sora and Riku though so we figured we'd just admire them from afar and let them have each other).

Sora also says that if you give him a big bucket of cookies, he'll think about not hating you.

**Date Begun:** January 23, 2005

**Date Posted: **February 13, 2005

**Chapter 10: **I'm Better Off Every Day

_Shut up, come back  
__No I didn't really mean to say that  
__I'm mixed up, so what?  
__Yeah you want me so you're messed up, too.  
__I love you; I hate you  
__If you only know what I've been through  
__My head is spinning, but my heart is in the right place  
__Sometimes it has to have itself a little earthquake  
__Here I am, perfect as I'm ever gonna be  
__You'll see: Love me for me  
_**-Love Me For Me by Ashlee Simpson**

* * *

Being in the position that he was in currently – he, the great Riku Masaki, in _love_ – he knew there was only one thing to do.

Consult the Wise One. Also known as his mother.

Riku had never, ever fallen in love before. Love was a foreign emotion to him. Lust he knew well. He'd lusted after plenty of people (and more often than not had the object of his desires in bed within the hour). But love…

That was an emotion way too scary and complicated for Riku to handle alone.

Which was why he and his mother were seated at the table in the Masaki household kitchen. Ayumi was casually sipping her tea and looking plaintively at her son, who was busy playing with the salt shaker.

She knew it was something important. Whenever Riku was nervous about something he'd call a meeting in the kitchen and then proceed to play with the salt shaker rather than talking.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Riku? Honey, is there something you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Well, now that you mention it…"

As if she'd been the one to call this meeting in the first place. Hff. Well, it was time to show off some good old motherly skill.

"Let me guess," Ayumi said, looking amused. "At first, you only wanted to sleep with Sora because of some game you have going with your friends, but now you've actually fallen in love with him and you don't know what to do about it because you still want to impress your friends, but you don't want to hurt Sora."

There was a long silence.

"Hello," Riku said flatly. "Could you _knock_ before you enter my mind?"

Ayumi laughed. "Hey, it's not like you were going to do anything other than play with the salt. I just got us straight to the problem, is all."

Riku sighed, rubbing his temples. As usual, Ayumi was right. Her mouth curved into a smirk. Oh how she loved being right. It was a trait that ran in the family, naturally.

"What do I do, Mom? I've never been… and Sora's _really_… but my friends…" Riku said, beginning and then trailing off as he tried to explain his predicament to his mother. Ayumi watched the gestures he was making with mild interest, wondering if her son was having a spasm.

"Riku, honey, relax," she said, steepling her fingers. "What we have here is a simple situation. Ditch your so-called friends for Sora, of course. I mean, come on! He's adorable!"

Riku gave his mother a flat look.

"Or… you could try explaining to your friends that you're madly in love with Sora and, if they don't accept it, THEN ditch them for Sora," Ayumi suggested as an alternative. "Either way, to achieve true happiness, you need to be with Sora."

Riku sighed. "Can I ask a question?"

"Hmm?" Ayumi hummed distractedly, stirring her tea.

"Why are you and Kairi and Seiya so hung up on me and Sora being a couple? I mean, honestly, why do you think we're so perfect for each other?" Riku asked, giving his mother a piercing look.

Ayumi's mouth stretched into a cat-like grin. "Well, since you asked so nicely—"

Riku recognized that look in his mother's eyes. It was one of those 'If I start now, I'll finish by the same time next year' looks. He grabbed his backpack off the back of his chair. "Bye Mom!"

Ayumi chuckled as Riku hurried towards the door. "Bye Riku! Have a nice day at school! Try not to molest Sora too much. He's still trying to pretend he doesn't like it, am I right?"

Her only answer was the slamming of the front door.

* * *

The first meeting of the school newspaper was that very morning, and Riku had every intention of joining. It wasn't exactly that he aspired to be a journalist. It was more that he wanted the pleasure of writing a star article, having it put on the front page, and then having people come up to him and say, "Good article, man. Riku Masaki, right?"

All in all, Riku's plan to join the school paper was entirely egocentric. But he didn't really care.

The first sight that greeted him when he entered the school was none other than Sora Harada. The brunette was walking a few yards in front of Riku himself, heading towards the school building with his eyes on the ground. He was listening to Kairi chatter on beside him, a silver Tiffany's bracelet on her arm.

Riku remembered Sora giving Kairi that bracelet before they'd both gone back to their own homes to get ready for school.

He quickened his pace to catch up with the two, coming up behind Sora and wrapping his arms around the younger boy's waist. Sora tensed up, then relaxed when Riku began placing feather light kisses on his neck.

"Hi, Riku," Sora said in a flat voice, trying to pull away from the white-haired boy's teasing touches. Kairi giggled.

"Riku! No PDAs on school property. It's unsavory and puts a blemish on your reputation," she scolded him, shaking her finger at him. Riku let Sora go and grabbed Kairi's hand, examining the bracelet on her wrist.

"Very nice. Makes you look prettier than you already are," he said with a sweet smile.

Kairi blushed. "Really? Because I didn't think it went with this outfit very well, I mean it's really—"

And while she was busy comparing the silver of the bracelet to the sparkling silver of her mini-skirt, Riku slid over to Sora's other side and gave the boy a feral grin. "And how are you this morning?"

Sora looked up from the ground to meet Riku's eyes. "Fine. I still feel violated from last night, I hope you know."

Riku smiled innocently. "It's so amusing how your mouth says one thing and your body says another when I touch you."

Sora blushed even deeper than Kairi had. "Shut up."

Kairi, who finally seemed to realize that the two boys were ignoring her completely, cleared her throat and glared at them, her hands on her hips. Once she had their attention, she looked at Riku. "What are you doing at school so early, anyway? We have an excuse. There's a dance committee meeting."

"I have an excuse, too," Riku said, brushing some dust off his jeans. "I'm going to join the school newspaper. I think I could make some prized contributions to the staff and to the paper."

Sora and Kairi both gave him skeptical looks until Riku held up his hands in surrender and laughed. "Alright, alright. So I just want the attention. Leave me alone."

"You're such an egomaniac." Sora accused, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Kairi. We've got a dance to plan, remember?"

Kairi laughed, following after Sora when the boy began walking away. "Yeah, yeah, I remember. Wait up!"

Riku rolled his eyes much like Sora had and walked in a different direction towards the door closest to the art building of the high school. He had a meeting to attend.

* * *

About an hour later, Riku walked out of the printing room with a position as reporter for the school newspaper about the same time Kairi and Sora finished their meeting and students were beginning to head into school.

Cloud yawned, rubbing his eyes. He'd spent the whole weekend at Leon's house since his parents had gone on some three day business meeting, and the two hadn't gotten much sleep. Aerith had gone out on a date so they'd stayed up until three when she finally came home, then until three-thirty when they proceeded to yell at her for coming home so late.

Either way, Cloud had lost sleep that he was planning to make up in History class.

He was still stewing over Aerith's words. Maybe she was right. She was top in her class at her prep school, after all. And she got her best grades in psychology.

She always said that Cloud was her favorite guinea pig. He hadn't known whether to be insulted or flattered.

The blond boy glanced to his left as Leon silently came up next to him, also looking worn-out. Leon never made any noise when leaving or approaching, but somehow you could just _feel_ him coming. He just had that kind of presence.

It was one of the many things Cloud liked about him.

"We walk into school together looking as tired as we do, and people are going to start thinking we were doing something else last night," Cloud said suggestively, smirking when Leon chuckled.

"Wishful thinking," he said ambiguously, speeding up to walk ahead of Cloud and into the building. Cloud raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and continued walking, nearly crashing into a kid with familiar white hair.

"Hey Riku," Cloud greeted him, grabbing the boy's paper off the floor.

Riku took the paper from him and smirked. "Cloud. You look sleepy. Were you getting happy last night?"

"I was lecturing Aerith, thanks," Cloud said with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, shouldn't _you_ be the one getting 'happy' with Sora?"

Spotting the brunette coming up behind Cloud, Riku smiled. "I am happy with Sora. Speaking of whom, hi Sora. Hey Kairi."

Cloud turned to see a blushing Sora and an amused looking Kairi walking up. Kairi waved at him briefly. "Hey, why do you look so tired? You missed my party to go have sex with some girl, didn't you?"

"Cloud's gay," Riku coughed into his hand. Both Kairi and Cloud's gazes flew to look at him – Cloud was glaring, Kairi wasn't.

"Oh," she said, her mouth forming the word slowly. "So… you missed my party to have sex with some boy?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "No. Aerith had a date, so me and Leon had to stay home and make sure she didn't come home at three o'clock in the friggen' morning."

Sora laughed. "Girls will be girls. You should see what Kairi does, every day, at three o'clock in the—"

"COME SORA!" Kairi shouted, grabbing Sora's arm and dragging him away. "It's almost time for school."

Sora broke out laughing, ignoring Kairi's glare as she dragged him away. Cloud shook his head. "That boy is…"

"I know," Riku said in a fond voice.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "So, you think he's retarded, too?"

"What? Oh. Uh, sure," Riku said quickly, stuffing the paper he'd dropped into his bag and shrugging. "He's alright. I'm going to go to my locker. Catch you later, Cloud."

"Your time's running out, Riku," Cloud reminded him as Riku walked away.

The white-haired boy paused. "I know."

* * *

Somehow, Tidus got the distinct feeling that Selphie was very, very mad at him. But he couldn't figure out why.

She'd been the one to dare him to kiss Sora, hadn't she? And she'd also been the one asking all those stupid questions. If Tidus liked Sora, why would he be dating Selphie? She had been a good friend to him when Sora turned him down and Tidus had figured, 'What the hell?'

But now, with all those annoying questions about how he felt about Sora, she was just starting to get on his nerves.

He spotted her by her locker, stuffing something into it and then pausing with her hand half out of it and looking down. Shaking his head at her curious behavior, Tidus walked up.

"Selphie?"

She turned to look at him, then she frowned and looked away. "Tidus."

Tidus leaned against the locker next to hers, folding his arms. "Why are you mad at me?"

"Why do you think?" Selphie asked in the same controlled voice. "Why don't you go play with _So-ra_ and leave me alone."

She pulled her bag out of her locker and slammed the door, locking it and then turning her back to him and beginning to walk away. Tidus jogged after her.

"Come on, Selph!" he called; she didn't turn around. "Talk to me."

"Just leave me alone, Tidus! I'm sick of your crap!" She turned around and Tidus was shocked to see that she was crying. "Leave. Me. Alone." She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked away. "If you really wanted to be with Sora, I would have backed off or I would have helped you get him. But going out with me when you're in love with someone else won't make the feelings go away. It just ends up with me hurt in the end, doesn't it?"

She reached into her bag and threw something to the ground at his feet. "Here," she spat. "Happy anniversary."

Tidus watched her turn on her heel and run into the girls' bathroom at the end of the hall. He leaned down and grabbed the small box off the ground, turning it over and ripping it open.

A keychain with a picture of the two of them at Six Flags. Selphie had gotten scared on the ride and Tidus had been trying to get her to laugh – and it worked. Cloud had called them 'cutesy' and taken the picture.

Tidus turned the keychain over and read the message on the back, lyrics from Selphie's favorite song: _'And the band played songs that we had never heard, but we danced anyway. Never understood a word, we just sang, oh. La la la la la la la. And we danced anyway.'_

He smiled softly.

Two seconds later, the keychain joined the report cards and used retainers in the trash can.

* * *

Sora was halfway through doodling a little cartoon of Riku getting his ass hauled off to jail for molestation of a minor and/or statutory almost-rape when a folded piece of paper landed on the desk in front of him, distracting him from his masterpiece.

He looked up, glancing around the classroom to see who might have thrown it, but nobody was looking his way. Shrugging, Sora opened the note.

_You.__ Me. Broom closet in five minutes. I'll make you feel good.  
__- Riku_

Sora rolled his eyes and jotted something down, turning and flicking the note to his left, where Riku was seated, before going back to his drawing.

Riku unfolded the tiny note, his lips quirking upwards in a smile as he read the words,_ Is your hand sending you notes again, Riku? If so, it's got bad aim._

He quickly wrote, _Very funny. You know that every time you lay eyes on me the sight is enough to make you want to explode in your pants_, and sent it off to Sora.

Two seconds later, Sora's reply hit him in the forehead_. You so stole that from a porno flick, you sick bastard._

Riku snickered.

_Ah, ah, ah. Language. _

Sora read over this note and rolled his eyes. He saw the teacher looking at him and pretended to jot down some notes, then, as soon as his back was turned, Sora quickly wrote a reply and sent it off.

_Fine, I'll get straight to the point: No, I will not meet you in the broom closet in five minutes because:_

_A) __Class doesn't end for another twenty minutes and I'm not skipping class just to help you get off._

_B) __I'm not sleeping with you. Period. Are you ever going to let this go?_

Riku smirked as he read over the note and was about to shoot a long and detailed reply in Sora's direction when a hand suddenly grabbed the paper out of Riku's hand. Riku looked up to see the teacher reading the paper, one eyebrow raised.

"Mr. Masaki, I hardly think the health benefit of sexual expeditions is appropriate for Math class," the teacher said, causing a round of laughter to erupt from the class. Riku glanced over at Sora to see that the boy's face was a very bright red. "Now, I don't know what activities you and Mr. Harada participate in during your spare time—"

"WE DON'T DO ANYTHING!" Sora suddenly burst out. Riku raised an eyebrow, inching away slightly. He was afraid Sora would spontaneously combust.

"Take your seat, Mr.—"

"We don't do anything in our spare time because Riku is just a weirdo psycho stalker who seems to be under the impression that I like him when I don't in any way shape or form and he is a big pervert who thinks I'm going to sleep with him, which I'm not and I don't do anything with him in my spare time because _he's_ always the one molesting _me_!" Sora announced, giving Riku a piercing glare. He blinked when he saw that Riku wasn't looking at him, but down at the desk instead.

"Well, Mr. Harada, since you feel so strongly enough that you needed to disrupt my class, let me give you more time to think about it," the teacher said in a clipped voice. "You and Mr. Masaki have detention, together, this afternoon."

Sora's eyes widened. "No, but, sir, I have to go to work today!" The brunette said, giving the teacher a pleading look. "Don't do this!"

"You should have thought of that before. I'll see you both directly after school. What time you leave depends on how well you behave."

Before Sora could utter another word of protest, the lesson had begun again. Sora sank back into his seat, glaring at Riku. "Thanks a lot," he muttered.

He received no reply.

* * *

Kairi was very confused.

She stared at the girl sitting across from her at the lunch table, watching as the girl viciously tore at the pieces of broccoli on her plate. Sora and Riku were staring as well, which was a change because as far as she knew, Sora still wasn't speaking to Riku.

Why was something she didn't know.

"Um, Selphie?" Sora said tentatively, interrupting the broccoli massacre. Selphie's eyes snapped up to meet Sora's. He gulped; her eyes were blazing angrily.

"What?" she snapped, stabbing her broccoli right in the heart and glaring at Sora.

"Uh—"

"You want to know what I found in the trash on my way to third period?" Selphie asked in a low voice. Kairi knew that voice. It was the same voice she'd used when she'd discovered that Sora had put jelly in her shoes when they were eight.

"Um," she said carefully. "No. Why don't you tell us?"

Riku and Sora exchanged looks.

"I found the anniversary present I gave Tidus THIS MORNING in the trash between somebody's half-eaten fajita and a pair of dirty gym socks," she said, this time stabbing the broccoli so hard she cracked the plastic plate.

"I'm… sorry…?" Kairi said, glancing over at the blond boy who was sitting with Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, and Wakka at the table across the cafeteria. All five's eyes were on Selphie.

"You're not the one who should be sorry. He's the one who's going to be sorry. I'm going to…. Oooh, and then I'm going to… And he'll wish he was never born!" Selphie shouted, standing up and pumping her fist in the air, drawing looks from their fellow peers. Kairi covered her face with her hands.

"As… _invigorating_ as this conversation is, I have somewhere to be." Riku said, standing. "I've got to get some work done now so I won't be miserable during detention later." He gave Sora a sharp look.

Sora returned it. "You're the one who got us detention!"

"Oh, I wasn't aware that my name was Sora Runs-His-Mouth-Off-Too-Much Harada!"

"Who started the note-passing in the first place, huh?"

"He was just going to take the notes and throw them out until you opened your big mouth!"

Sora glared at him. "Shut up. Fine. Okay, this is all my fault and now we're trapped in detention because of me. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Well," Riku said, smirking. "Specifically, I wanted to hear you moan and gasping beneath me as I—"

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Sora said flatly.

Riku smirked, leaning down and kissing Sora before the boy could gather his senses enough to step away. Sora stared at Riku in surprise as the older boy winked at him. "You're really cute, you know that?"

"I am not—" Sora was silenced by the feel of Riku's lips on his again. He took a deep breath and pulled away, swallowing. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Because," Riku said, running his fingers through Sora's hair and kissing the younger boy again. "You are just too damn cute for your own good."

Sora wrinkled his nose and was about to protest when Riku kissed him one more time, then turned and walked out of the cafeteria, a big smile on his face. Sora stared after him blankly.

"I just don't understand him at all!" he said, throwing his hands up and turning back to the table where Selphie and Kairi both sat, giving him amused looks. Sora blinked. "What?"

"You're really blind, aren't you?" Selphie commented, raising an eyebrow. "Do the words 'He's in love with you' mean anything to you at all?"

Sora looked indignant. "He is not in love with me. He just wants an easy lay."

"If he wanted that," Kairi put in, "then don't you think he would have left you alone after the first time you said no?"

"Well, maybe he likes a challenge," Sora suggested, sitting back down and continuing to look very irritated.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "He's in love with you, Sora! It's so obvious! You can see it in the way he looks at you and talks to you and how he's always with you, even when you're being a jerk, which, by the way, I don't understand at all. I mean, come on. You're always going 'I hate it when you touch me' and then when he does touch you, you turn into jelly. If you really want him to leave you alone, why don't you avoid him or scream when he kisses you like that or something? Hypocrite."

Sora glared at her. "You don't understand anything about love. If I recall correctly, your boyfriend _left_ you. For a _boy_."

There was dead silence at the table.

Then Selphie got up, glaring at Sora with a look that could have made Adolph Hitler run for the hills. "You are a filthy mannerless bastard and I hate you. Just because you can't admit your feelings doesn't mean you need to take it out on me."

Sora, who had started feeling guilty the instant the words left his mouth, closed his eyes. He reopened them, giving Selphie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Selphie. I didn't mean that."

"I've found that you can get a person's true opinions about you during an argument," Selphie said, gathering up her plate. "Thanks for being honest with me, Sora. I'll stop bothering you now since I don't know anything about love. Right?"

The guilt Sora felt tripled as Selphie walked out of the cafeteria. He buried his face in his hands. "I can't believe I did that."

"I can't believe you did that, either. What happened to the good Sora?" Kairi asked, raising an eyebrow. "That wasn't like you at all."

"I know," Sora whined, sighing. "I feel horrible."

There was a pause before Kairi tentatively said, "She's right, you know."

"About what?" Sora asked, glancing at her.

"About Riku." Kairi winced when Sora glared at her. "No, just hear me out. You do put out all these mixed signals. Why do you do that? Either you like him or you don't, right? What's going on, Sora?"

Sora rested his head against the wood of the table. "You want to know the truth?" He saw Kairi nod and sighed. "The truth is… well, I maybe kinda like him. Just a little bit." He laughed at Kairi's disbelieving look. "Okay, a really big little bit. But," Sora sighed. "He just wants me for sex and I am not letting that happen. Everybody says he likes me, but I'm not going to believe anything until I hear him say it."

"I can understand that," Kairi said with a small nod. "But there's one more important thing I need to know."

"What?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kairi smirked. "Is he really a good kisser?" She laughed, dodging the French fry that Sora threw at her. His face was bright red, but he smiled.

"Yes, he's a good kisser. Really good. Like, feel tingles all the way down to your toes and back good."

"And now that was too much information," Kairi said, laughing. She grabbed her bags and started heading out the door, smirking at the blush still lingering on her best friend's face. She pinched his cheek. "Oh to be young and in love."

"Shut up."

* * *

Leon found it quite amusing the way the simplest action could get Cloud all riled up. If he smiled at Tidus or looked over at Riku or even if he said something to Yuffie, he would get the pleasure of seeing Cloud narrow his eyes and scowl.

A very pretty sight, if he did say so himself.

He watched Sora and Kairi walk out of the cafeteria, then quickly looked back at Cloud in time to catch the scowl. A brief smile crossed his face before his usual expressionless look returned. "Cloud, come with me."

The blond boy looked confused before he shrugged and got up, following Leon past the crowded lunch tables. Leon stuck his hands in his pockets and walked through the door, leaning against the wall and waiting until Cloud came out.

And as soon as Cloud walked through the door, he suddenly found himself pressed against the door with a pair of lips against his own. Cloud's eyes widened in shock before he relaxed, kissing Leon back until the brunette smirked and pulled away.

Cloud stared. "What was that for?" he asked once he was sure his voice wouldn't shake.

"Because you're an idiot," Leon said simply. "I figured you weren't smart enough to figure out that I like you by now, so I decided to do something about it."

"Always straight to the point," Cloud muttered, which, Leon knew, was as close to a smile as he was going to get.

"And, besides, Aerith told me about that talk you two had," Leon said, a smirk making its way to his face. Cloud stared at him again, obviously plotting murder against Leon's poor sister. The brunette laughed. "She didn't tell me anything I didn't know already."

Cloud opened his mouth to reply when they heard hushed voices from around the corner. Raising an eyebrow, the two walked down the hallway until they recognized the voices as belonging to Sora and Riku.

"You know, I'm kind of looking forward to detention today. Stuck alone in a room with you. Things could get racy," the two heard Riku's voice say. A quick peek around the corner told them that Riku had Sora pinned against a locker.

Again.

There was a sound of frustration. "Don't you ever think of anything else? What happened to liking me for me? Is chivalry dead?"

"It's not dead, Sora," Riku said, his voice muffled. From the sharp intake of breath Sora made, it was safe to say that Riku was speaking while busying himself with Sora's neck, even without looking. "It just developed this thing called a libido…"

Cloud and Leon exchanged glances, smirking and wondering how close Riku was to getting the boy into bed.

"Give them some privacy?" Leon mouthed soundlessly. Cloud nodded, glancing around the corner again before smirking and walking with Leon in the opposite direction.

* * *

Riku rather enjoyed pressing Sora up against things and feeling the younger boy's body pressed up against his own. The flushed, yet defiant look on Sora's face was precious and Riku often had to fight down the urge to kiss him.

Sora squirmed, trying to get away, but Riku had his wrists locked above his head and didn't seem to want to let go any time soon.

Riku smirked, leaning forward and brushing his lips across Sora's neck, causing the boy to shiver and let out a small whimper. "You know… I really did want to meet in the broom closet… but I suppose we can do it here."

Sora's hands clenched and unclenched, dying to hold on to something. Or slap Riku. Or maybe both.

Riku, pleased with the reaction he was getting, began to suck and nip lightly at Sora's neck, holding Sora's wrists with one hand and using the other to trail down Sora's side and to his pants.

Little warning bells went off in Sora's head. "Riku! No, not _here_! You can't do that here!"

Riku paused, resting his hand on Sora's hip and tracing patterns lightly. "Hm, you're right. We already have detention today." He paused. "Detention. Hm."

Sora frowned, not liking the thoughtful look on Riku's face. "Can you let me go now? Kairi said you only had five minutes to 'talk' to me."

"We _are_ talking," Riku pointed out, releasing Sora's wrists and kissing him slowly, languidly, as if trying to memorize the shape and feel of Sora's lips. Sora sighed, relaxing, but, as always, he didn't kiss Riku back.

Riku finally pulled away, smiling when he saw Sora sigh in contentment and slowly open his eyes, meeting Riku's gaze and holding it. Riku brushed a lock of Sora's messy hair away from his face. "Sora, you have no idea how much…"

Sora's eyes held an unreadable look for a moment, but Riku blinked and it was gone. "How much what?" the brunette asked, moving his arms a bit to see if Riku would finally let go. He realized that the boy's grip had gone slack and dropped his arms to his sides, looking up at Riku curiously. The older boy wasn't looking at him. "Riku?"

Riku seemed to snap back to attention at this, raising an eyebrow at Sora. He then remembered that he was in the middle of saying something and coughed. "Um, nevermind. Weren't you supposed to meet Kairi?"

"Yeah, I was," Sora answered with a nod. "And I would, except for you're currently pinning me up against the locker and I can't move until you do."

Riku laughed and stepped back so that Sora could move, watching the younger boy stretch out his arms. Sora turned to see Riku giving him a look that Sora couldn't decipher, but it made him shiver. "R-Riku?"

Riku snapped out of it again and smiled at Sora. "Go on. Kairi's waiting," he said in an expressionless voice. "I'll see you in detention."

"Are you okay?" Sora reached a hand out to touch Riku's cheek, but then seemed to realize what he was doing and brought his hand back to his side, frowning. "Yeah, alright."

Riku watched Sora hurry off and took a deep breath, leaning against the locker. How was he going to get through this?

* * *

"How about a masquerade kind of thing?" Kairi suggested, watching as Sora wrote the idea down on their list. "We could have everybody dress up and have an unmasking at midnight!"

Sora tapped his pencil against his chin and frowned thoughtfully. "That's so cliché though. We don't want the dance to be cliché. And besides, isn't that more Halloween-y than Spring-y?"

"Have you got any ideas, genius? Or is your Riku Bear distracting you too much?" Kairi smirked at the blush that crossed Sora's face. "That's what I thought. So why don't you come up with your own ideas instead of knocking mine?"

"Maybe we could have a Hollywood thing," Sora said after a bit. "You know, with a red carpet and spotlights and a giant movie screen where we could show a slide show using pictures that people could donate specifically for the event. I wouldn't mind putting together a presentation."

Kairi thought about this for a few minutes. "That's actually not a bad idea. Who are you going to find that has the technological know-how to set up a giant TV screen in the auditorium that can be wired to show a presentation from one of the school computers?"

"Tidus is pretty good with that stuff," Sora said as he turned to a new page and began drawing up a list of supplies they would need and who they could get it from. "I think he has a giant TV screen, too. His family is loaded."

Kairi got up, walking around the table and leaning over Sora's shoulder so that she could see the list. "Works for me. Wow. We got more done this one meeting than we have in the last six."

"Probably because Riku got me before the meeting instead of during," Sora commented in a offhand manner. "All he ever thinks about is sex, sex, sex."

"Which is… bad?" Kairi asked, taking a seat on the table next to Sora's arm. The brunette looked up at her with a frown.

"Well, duh," he said, going back to his list. "I want more than just a fuck buddy. I blame him for being so irresistible and being kind one minute and frustrating the next and—argh!"

"You're pressing so hard you're making a hole in the paper," Kairi pointed out. Sora immediately dropped the pencil and buried his face in his hands. Kairi patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure Riku likes you, Sora. Now stop being an angsty baby and keep writing. We're making progress for once! Don't screw it up!"

Sora laughed. "Alright, alright, slave driver. I'm working," he said as he continued with the list. Kairi smirked, pretending to crack a whip before she blinked and smirked even more.

"I bet you wish Riku was cracking a whip over you, don't you? Keep your sexual fantasies to yourself, please!" she said, squealing when Sora suddenly shoved her off the table and tried to strangle her with her own notebook.

* * *

Sora had never been in detention before.

He was seated at the very back of the classroom, with Riku at the very front. The teacher had been sure to separate the two boys before leaving to go grade some papers in his office down the hall. Sora had wanted to beg the teacher to stay, but he knew it would have done no good.

Riku's silence was enough to warn him that he wasn't going to leave the room until Riku's _curiosity_ was satisfied.

Sora shivered, although he couldn't tell whether it was from fear or excitement. He chewed on the end of his pencil, looking down at his math homework.

_A complex number written in standard form is a number **a**+**b**i where **a** and** b** are real numbers._ He read off the worksheet, still chewing on the pencil eraser. He couldn't hear any noise from Riku, so he assumed the older boy was getting some work done as well.

The sudden appearance of two hands over his eyes told him how wrong he was. Sora sighed, now unable to see. "Riku…."

"Mm?" Riku hummed innocently, moving his hands from Sora's eyes to wrap around the brunette's waist and turn him around in the chair. Sora looked to see that Riku was standing right behind him, a smirk on his face.

He sighed. "Riku, I have work to do."

"What a coincidence. I have something I want to do, too. Or, really, someone." Riku smirked again, tracing a light pattern on the back of Sora's neck and making the younger boy shiver. His smirk widened. "Oh, does Sora have a sensitive neck?"

"N-no," Sora murmured distractedly as Riku trailed a hand along his neck again, his eyes fluttering closed. Riku leant down and flicked his tongue out to taste the skin at the crook of Sora's neck, grinning when he heard Sora moan quietly. The brunette seemed to realize what he was doing and pushed Riku away, getting out of his seat and breathing heavily. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" Riku asked innocently, advancing on Sora. The younger boy stepped back, but Riku just continued forward until Sora had his back against the wall with Riku less than a foot away from him.

He swallowed. "T-that."

"And what's 'that'?" Riku continued, pressing his hands against the wall on either side of Sora's head and trapping him there. Sora blushed, looking down, to the sides, and at anything other than the devious boy in front of him.

When Sora didn't answer, Riku put a hand under Sora's chin until the younger boy met his eyes, then leaned over and kissed Sora gently. Sora, pleasantly surprised, closed his eyes, his hands reaching up to clutch at the front of Riku's shirt.

Riku took a deep breath and pulled away, smiling and kissing Sora's forehead. "So cute," he said quietly before pulling away and turning around. Sora stared, wide-eyed, as Riku walked back to his seat and took out a book.

How dare Riku just leave him hanging like that! What was _wrong_ with him today!

Sora narrowed his eyes and walked over to Riku, pulling the book out of the white-haired boy's grasp. "What are you doing?" Sora asked in an irritated tone.

"…Reading?" Riku tried, raising an eyebrow. "What's _your_ problem?"

"What's _yours_? You've been acting weird all day! One minute you're kissing me and the next you're staring at me. One minute you're… you're… doing… things to me and the next minute you're just walking away and pulling out books…" Sora said, gesturing wildly with his arms. "I mean, you're normally really hard to understand, but, what, are you going for a new record today or something?"

Riku rested his head on his hand. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sora. You told me to stop 'that' so I did. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Don't even go there!" Sora said, poking Riku in the chest. "We both know that's not the problem since you never listen to me anyway!"

"Well, if you're going to get this mad when I do listen, then maybe I'll stop listening." Riku retorted, getting up from his seat and starting to walk to the back of the room. Sora grabbed his hand, stopping him in mid-step and glaring at Riku's back until the older boy turned to look at him.

"There's something going on with you and I want to know what it is! It's not right to just… just string people along like that!" Sora said, letting go of Riku's hand and poking him in the chest again. "You." Poke. "Just." Poke. "Can't." Poke. "Do." Poke. "That." Poke, poke, poke.

Riku returned Sora's glare intensely, frowning. Sora stared him down, his stubborn nature not allowing him to let this go until Riku fessed up to whatever was going on inside that twisted mind.

Then, all of a sudden, the look in Riku's eyes changed and Sora found himself pinned to the teacher's desk with Riku over him, ravishing his neck. He arched up and groaned, closing his eyes. This wouldn't get them anywhere at all.

"You…" Sora got out before groaning again as Riku brushed their hips together. "Are definitely PMSing."

"Only girls PMS," Riku said, sucking on Sora's neck hard enough to leave a mark. "And if anybody's the girl here, it's you."

"WAITAMINUTE!" Sora said, shoving Riku off him and glaring. Riku looked back at him with a 'what now' expression. Sora put his hands on his hips. "Since when am I the girl? Who made that up? You're the one with the girly hair!"

Riku just stared at him.

"And, sure, I'm usually the one getting pinned to things, but that doesn't mean that I'm the—Mmph!" Sora was cut off as Riku promptly shut him up with a kiss.

"Later," Riku growled, slipping his hands under Sora's shirt. "You can think about that _later_."

Sora definitely didn't want to think about it later (he was not a girl, dammit!) but he found it very hard to think about anything at all when Riku kissed him again and his shirt mysteriously disappeared.

* * *

When they finally got out of detention two hours later, Sora's neck was covered in little red marks and he was wearing his shirt inside out, but he didn't care. His eyes were trained on Riku who managed to emerge from the whole ordeal with nothing to show that he was even molesting somebody to begin with, other than a slightly wrinkled shirt.

This made Sora pout. Why did he have to be the one with the recently-got-the-hell-kissed-out-of-him look? Why did Riku have to be so damn perfect all the time?

Riku seemed to notice that Sora was glaring at him and blinked, looking over to meet Sora's eyes. Riku smiled. "Yes?"

"Nothing," Sora said, his pout deepening. "I just hate you, that's all."

Riku pretended to look as if Sora didn't say this every day. "Why? I stopped when you told me to didn't I?"

"Nuh uh!" Sora protested. "I said 'stop' and you ripped off my pants and ran like the devil was on your heels!"

"You were right behind me," Riku admitted, now looking amused. "I gave them back. Eventually."

"When the teacher came in and saw me half-naked," Sora pointed out, pouting again. "And then you just had to kiss me again when he left and now look at you! You don't look like you've been kissed at all!"

Riku flipped his hair over his shoulder and raised an arrogant eyebrow. "What can I say? It's a gift."

Sora stuck his tongue out at him and sighed. "Whatever. It's going to be a _long_ week."

Riku chuckled and brushed his fingers through Sora's hair briefly before walking over to the bus stop, much too lazy to just walk the five blocks back to his house. Sora raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment. He just wanted to go home and fall into bed and…

And _not_ think about kissing Riku.

He watched as Riku checked his watch. Sora already knew that the bus wouldn't come for another half-hour. He sighed. "Hey, Riku?"

"Yeah?" Riku called without turning around. Sora shifted from foot to foot before walking up to the older boy and tugging on Riku's hair until Riku looked at him.

"You want to come over to my house for a bit?" Sora asked almost reluctantly. He was half-afraid of what might happen while they were there, half-excited.

Riku smiled, giving Sora an amused look. "I'd love to. But that would involve walking and would defeat the purpose of taking the bus."

Sora recognized that tone; Riku wanted him to beg. Sora narrowed his eyes, then sighed. "Please?"

"Please what?"

"Please come over to my house today, Riku," Sora said through gritted teeth, giving Riku a look that clearly said 'You're pushing your luck, Masaki'.

Riku laughed. "Alright, alright. Since you asked so kindly I think I can take time out of my busy schedule to—Hey, Sora, wait up!" Riku hurried to catch up with the brunette who'd long since begun to walk away.

Sora looked up at Riku when the older boy caught up. "You love to hear yourself talk, don't you?"

"Well. Yeah," Riku answered with a smirk. "You know you love to hear me talk, too."

Sora rolled his eyes, a light blush spreading across his face. "Whatever. As a warning, my pants are staying _on_ this time."

"Of course they are," Riku said in the type of voice one would use when humoring a three-year-old. "I'm assuming 'Please come over to my house today' wasn't code for 'Okay, Riku, as soon as we get up to my room, I want you to screw me senseless'?"

Sora glared.

"Was that a yes?" Riku asked with a laugh. The glare on Sora's face didn't go away until Riku finally sighed and said in a fake forlorn voice. "Alright, alright. I guess I'll just have to find someone else. Maybe Kairi would like to—"

"NO!" Sora near shouted, stopping in his tracks and looking at Riku in shock. "No, not Kairi! She would never! And neither would… would anybody! You can't just… I mean _I_… And you… I wanted to be the one you… You… Argh!"

Riku chuckled, giving Sora a wide-eyed innocent look. "I was _going_ to say that maybe Kairi would let me come to her house. What were _you_ thinking?"

Sora, now embarrassed beyond belief, made an indiscernible noise and started running. Riku laughed and ran to catch up with him. "Sora! Sora, wait!"

Sora didn't slow down, however, so Riku put on a little extra speed and grabbed Sora around the waist, sending them both tumbling to the ground. He straddled Sora, pinning the struggling brunette under him and grinning at Sora's bright red face. "Sora?"

Sora looked up at Riku, still looking mortified. "Wh-what?"

Riku smiled, kissing Sora's forehead. "Don't worry. I want you to be the one I do it with, too." Sora turned an even deeper shade of red as Riku got off him and stood up, dusting off his jeans. Sora got up, averting his eyes and trying to get his face to return to its normal color.

Riku winked at him. "Can we carry on to your house in peace now?"

"Yeah…" Sora said with a nod, his face finally back to normal. Riku chuckled and started to walk, Sora trailing a few feet behind him. "Hey, Riku?"

Riku paused and turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, what?"

Sora looked down at his feet, his blush returning. "Did you… did you mean it when you said I'm the only one that you want to… well, you know…" His blush increased tenfold and he didn't meet Riku's eyes.

Riku smiled thoughtfully before nodding. "I did."

"Why?" Sora raised his eyes to meet Riku's gaze and Riku paused, the hopeful and extremely trusting emotion swirling in the younger boy's eyes making him momentarily breathless. He turned away, blinking to get the image out of his head.

Unable to tell Sora quite yet the reasons behind his actions, he slumped his shoulders and looked down. "Because I think you're cute," he said after awhile.

Sora's voice seemed disappointed as he answered, "Okay…"

Riku swallowed, shaking his head and then looking back at Sora with a smile. "Anyway, come on. We've spent enough time stalling, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Sora refused to look at him as he walked past Riku and continued along the way to his house. Riku sighed running his hands through his hair.

"Sora," he said with a frown, looking at the brunette who had yet to turn around. Sora paused briefly before glancing back at Riku with a half-formed smile on his face.

"Now you're the one who's stalling. Come on, let's go."

Riku knew that it was best to drop it for now and sighed again. Why couldn't he just say it? Shaking his head, he jogged to catch up with Sora and walked alongside the other boy, his hands in his pockets.

Sora glanced up at the sky, humming thoughtfully. "Looks like it's going to rain."

Riku sighed. "_Great_."

* * *

**Slashy:** Dun dun dun. The plot thickens!

**Riku:** Why'd you have to take that really great scene that you just typed up out of the story? I was brilliant!

**Slashy: **Because it would fit better somewhere else in the story, you loser. If I let you say that, then Sora would have jumped you and that would defeat the purpose of the plot.

**Sora: **-beams- The plot loves me. And my virginity.

**Riku: **-reading through reviews- A great number of the reviewers seem to want you to lose it, though.

**Sora: **-eating a cookie given to him by The Random Inventor- Well, we've got some pretty screwed up people reading this story. :pumps fist in air, with a cookie jammed in his mouth: Eyef wilf now podun va fikulaton ef vis stoopit sphash pikton!

**Riku:** -turns to Slashy- What did he say?

**Slashy:** -flipping through English-To-Cookie Dictionary- He said 'I will not condone the circulation of this stupid slash fiction'.

**Riku: **Are you sure he didn't say 'Riku, please take me to the bedroom and have your wicked way with me?"

**Slashy: **…

**Slashy:** -burns dictionary- That's exactly what he said.

**Riku: **Oh good. -grabs Sora's arm and drags him away-

**Aerith: **I didn't get any scenes in this chapter!

**Yuffie and Wakka: **Neither did we!

**Slashy: **That's because you people are irrelevant till the plot. Especially you, Aerith.

**Aerith: **_Fine_. -goes to Vegas to get drunk and married-

**Leon: **Don't even _think_ about it.

**Slashy-**sweat drops- Until next time! Ta:bangs on door: RIKU, THOSE ARE NEW BEDSHEETS!


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: **Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:  
****Kari: **-looks innocent with a cookie-  
**Sora: **-attacks you-  
**Kari: **-throws the cookie at Riku-  
**Riku: **-takes cookie, grabs Sora when Sora jumps him and takes Sora to bedroom-  
**Sora: **-from bedroom- Hey! Riku! You lied! The cookie's not in your pants!  
**Riku: **Yes it is. Keep looking.

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry this has taken so long. First, I had to finish writing this thing. Then I hated how it came out so I had to rewrite it. However, I kept putting off the rewriting until I was finally all 'If I don't send this to my beta now, it'll never get posted!' so I sent it off without rewriting anything. So forgive me if this sucks.

Sora was such a stupid child. So stupid.

**Thanks To:**

Dreamer, Ink2, Xeora, Tama-Kitsune, Destati Chiaro, Fire-Bubbles, Hikkix, Rikku Rinku, Weeble Wobble, Chic, Reina-183, siverrain, Haven-Hikari, teizonriku, LiLi-Sama, AJH, Ivin Artemis Draconis, lordkagome, kuramasgirl13, Greenarrow-Resurrected, minamotogirl, boredperson, Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu, Rezuna Kitsune of Ice, Monie, thekatgirl, RikuSora, Shi no Yume, somewhatcrazyhappyperson, KHFanatic, Ultima, Cheeky Babe, LovelyRikaru, Griever Weapon.

**Short Replies:**

Shattered Darkness: Tidus is the world's biggest bastard. But Selphie will get her revenge. Don't worry.

KHlover I know what's gonna happen. It's just a matter of getting off my lazy ass to write it. Me and procrastination? Yeah. Best buddies playing bingo on Thursdays.

greyspark Slashy no write lemons. Maybe if you ask Kari, she can write one for me.

MissShadowWell, duh. Sure, Sora was all 'I'll always be with you too' and Kairi was all 'I know you will'. But Riku was also all 'Heh. That's just like you. Always trying to worm your way into my heart' and Sora was all 'I won't let you push me away'. Totally canon. The SK shippers LIE.

addmoose2004: Sora says you are sick. But he'll take the cookies.

PlayingWithFire: I would, but I burned my copy and it was the only one left in the world.

Amon's-Girl: I'm glad you see what you have been missing. Another one converted! Let's go shopping and do each other's hair now. 26 days till our birthday! I'm going to have a slumber party! -squeals-

**Long Replies:**

_Insanehikari_– Oh, don't worry darling. I missed your presence, but, look, you've reviewed now! Besides, I have had school, homework, the flu, and report cards so I can't blame you one itty bit.

Oh, no, Sora used the mouthwash alright. I just didn't write it down. Sora scrubbed his mouth off exactly 82 times. I counted.

Lol. That is so something I would do! But then my parents would hate me even more than they already do. Mwaha. Enjoy!

-

_bOb__ the bUilder'_ – Was it a pizza party? I got a pizza party! But they wouldn't let me near the sharp pointy objects so I cried. Then I stole their keys.

Oooh. Shiny.

I absolutely despise Kairi as well. That's why I am starting the League of Kairi Haters! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Riku says he official hates you and if you make a comment about his hair again, he'll, like, touch Sora for a whole, like, three seconds. So there.

-

_cammy__-world_ – Thanks for the bed sheets. With these two in my house, I have to buy them in stock. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I worked so hard. 21 pages, baby!

Tidus is an idiot. There's been a lot of people saying that. Selphie's gonna have her stupid moments soon, though. Riku's happy you're quoting him. It makes him feel even more famous than he already is.

Even though Riku insists that fourteen comes after ten, here comes chapter ELEVEN!

-

_XxX__ Chains XxX_ – You compare me to Uzumaki-sama? Are you crazy! She's, like, so high on a pedastool! I don't even deserve to breathe the same air as her! I can't even be mentioned in the same sentence as her!

She is to be revered, adored! I am to be.. Uh... Something. But not adored and revered. I'm SO not good of a writer. In fact, I'm having such the trouble coming up with another story to start when I finish this one. Tre annoying.

Me as good as Uzumaki-sama. Hee. You're funny.

-

_Lymerai_ – Alright. But I'll probably miss our wedding to sneak in the back and eat the whole cake by myself. And, no! Tigers can't jump through flaming stuff! I love tigers. They must eat cake as well!

Chocolate chocolate chocolaaaate!

I'm glad you like it so much. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I shall keep writing! Especially since Kari (HavenHikari) won't let me go a day without writing SOMETHING. Mwahaha.

Nice long review. Me likey.

**Date Begun:** 2/17/05

**Date Finished:** 2/28/2005

**Chapter 11:** When I'm Standing In The Pouring Rain

_My tea's gone cold  
__I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all  
__The morning rain clouds up my window  
__And I can't see at all  
__And even if I could it'd all be grey  
__Put your picture on my wall  
__It reminds me that it's not so bad  
__It's not so bad  
__I drank too much last night  
__Got bills to pay  
__My head just feels in pain  
__I missed the bus and there'll be hell today  
__I'm late for work again  
__And even if I'm there they'll all imply  
__That I might not last the day  
__And then you call me and it's not so bad  
__It's not so bad  
__I want to thank you  
__For giving me the best day of my life  
__Oh, just to be with you  
__Is having the best day of my life  
_**Thank You by Dido**

-

Sora watched his mother race from room to room of the house, blinking blankly. Every time he opened his mouth to get a word in, she'd just rush past him, so now he was leaning quietly against the wall outside her bedroom, out of the way.

"Toothbrush, toothbrush, where is the toothbrush? Oh, right, I used it to clean the toilet bowl. No, wait, that was Sora's toothbrush."

Sora stuck his head in the doorway. "Excuse me!" He said, appearing fully in the doorway, his hands on his hips. "You used my toothbrush to do what!"

Seiya seemed to notice her son for the first time and raced across the room, wrapping him in a bear hug. "Sora! I will miss you so much!"

Sora froze. "Miss me? You're leaving!"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Seiya asked in the cute voice that suggested she was going to say something that Sora wouldn't like. "I'm going to be at a convention all weekend."

"What kind of convention?" Sora asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Seiya waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, you know. One of those conventions bosses send their employees on every so often. It's just for two days. You can survive till I get home Monday morning, can't you?"

"All by myself?" Sora asked in a small voice. Seiya knew he hated being left all by himself for very long. An absolutely pristine smile spread on Seiya's face.

Sora gulped.

"Of course not. I've made arrangements." Sora still looked suspicious, so Seiya continued happily. "You'll be staying with the Masakis until I come back."

"WHAT!"

If Sora's yelling fazed her, it didn't show. Seiya rummaged around her closet, coming out with a wrapped box. "Here! I got you a present to help you through this weekend!"

Sora took the box, looking up at his mother who was still smiling happily, then ripping off the paper and looking inside.

He blushed. "MOM!" He said, dropping the box of Warmth for Two Trojan Condoms. "That's NOT funny!"

Seiya looked extremely innocent. "What? At your age, you should be thinking about safe sex."

"I'm FIFTEEN! I shouldn't be thinking about sex at all!" Sora argued, his face still bright red. "You're my mother! You should be telling me that if I have sex, you'll disown me! You shouldn't be encouraging it!"

"I was thinking about sex when I was fifteen." Seiya defended herself. "And, besides, it's not like you can get pregnant."

Sora rolled his eyes as Seiya picked up the condoms and held them out to her son. "I got the good kind. You'll be feeling this one all the way to your toes and back."

Sora snatched the box out of her hand and frowned. "I don't even want to KNOW how you know that," he hissed, giving his mom a dubious look. Seiya merely continued to smile as if Christmas had come early.

"Ho hum," she sang cheerfully. "Alright. I leave in about an hour. Be good. If I come back and you're still a virgin, I'll start thinking you're sterile."

Sora groaned. "Great. My mother is encouraging me to have sex out of wedlock and with none other than the original Trojan Man."

Seiya patted Sora on the head. "Oh, come on. You know the sight of him makes you want to explode in your pants."

While Sora mused on how disturbing it was to hear his mother utter the same perverse sentence as his enemy/lover, Seiya zipped up her suitcase and sighed in contentment. "All done. Time for little boys to go to other little boys' house and play nice. _Real_ nice."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Well, thanks for telling me that I have to leave the house an hour before I have to leave the house," he said sarcastically, turning. "I'm gonna go pack my clothes."

"And I'll call Ayumi and tell her that you're coming. You're going to have a wonderful time." Seiya said, giving Sora another hug. "I love you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I love you, too, Mom. But I'm NOT having sex with Riku!" Sora insisted one last time.

"Of course you aren't," Seiya said, smirking. "So, where are you taking those condoms?"

Sora dropped the box and ran.

-

Kairi rapped her fingers against the counter as she waited patiently for her shift to be over. She knew from Seiya's call earlier that Sora would be staying at Riku's all weekend, which left her nothing to do since Riku would, no doubt, occupy all of Sora's attention.

She was busy contemplating what she was going to do once she was allowed to leave when the door opened and she looked up to see none other than Tidus Mihada standing there.

She eyed him warily. "How may I help you, sir?"

Tidus briefly looked sheepish before walking over and looking at Kairi with an annoyed expression. "I need your help," he said, sounding extremely reluctant.

Kairi's eyebrows shot up. "You need what? From me? Who are you and what have you done with the blond haired jerk I've come to know and love?" She silenced herself at the look she received. Propping her head up with her elbow and looking across at him, she sighed. "So, what's wrong?"

Tidus glared down at the counter. "It's Selphie. I think she hates me."

"Well, duh," Kairi said, unable to believe he was just figuring this out. "Of course she hates you. After what you did?"

"But what did I do?" Tidus asked, looking up at Kairi again. "She dares me to kiss Sora, and I do, and then she acts like I'm the world's biggest asshole."

"Well, you kind of are," Kairi told him honestly. "I mean, look at it from Selphie's point of view. She really lo—" She saw Tidus suddenly go pale and paused. "What?" Tidus gulped and shook his head, gesturing for her to continue. Kairi broke off completely, understanding dawning on her. "You're commitment phobic, aren't you?"

"What?" Tidus asked blankly.

"Have you ever told Selphie that you love her?" Kairi pointed at Tidus when he flinched at the word love. "See? That's what I mean! You're afraid of commitment and so you are neglecting your relationship with Selphie in order to cling onto your first love – which you believe to be safe – rather than this new love – which you have no idea about. Am I right or am I right?"

Tidus gave her a look. "I think you're full of bull."

"I think you're in denial," Kairi chorused back. "Tidus Mihada's in love! Tidus Mihada's in love! Tidus Mihada's in—Mmph!" Her eyes widened to dinner-plate size as Tidus grabbed the front of her uniform apron and pulled her face to his, clamping his mouth on hers.

Immediately, Kairi turned a sickly green color and grabbed the nearest thing – which happened to be a fork – and jabbed him in the side with it. Tidus flinched and let go of her, prying the fork out of her fingers and tossing it over his shoulder.

"What are you doing!" Kairi asked, rubbing her lips frantically. "That was my first kiss! I was saving it for someone more important than your scumbag self! It was supposed to be special!" She was surprised to find that she was crying. "Why did you do that?"

"To prove a point," Tidus answered simply, his hands in his pockets. "And to shut you up."

"Bastard!" Kairi hissed, climbing onto the counter and tackling Tidus in a flurry of flying fists. She whacked him over and over, ignoring his attempts to get up. "How dare you! HOW DARE YOU! I'm gonna KILL—"

"It was just a damn kiss!" Tidus shouted, grabbing one of her wrists and flipping them over so that she was pinned under him, struggling for all she was worth. "What is the big deal!"

"It was my first kiss! That makes it a big deal! And, besides, what about Selphie, huh? What about Sora? Why me!" She glared up at him, giving up on struggling. She wouldn't be able to get up until Tidus let her get up.

Tidus shrugged instead of answering, staring down at the miserable looking Kairi. She sniffed. "As much as I like having you close enough to strangle, could you please get off me?"

Tidus was about to comply with her wishes when the door was shoved open again and the room was filled with barely suppressed sobbing. "Kairi, I know you're on the job right now, but I just needed someone to talk to—" The voice broke off and both teens on the floor looked up to see a shell-shocked Selphie standing in the doorway. "Wh-what is this?"

Kairi moved, trying to get her arms unpinned, but Tidus was still on top of her and too surprised to move. She tilted her head back and looked at Selphie. "It's nothing, Selphie! He won't get off me!"

Tidus blinked at Selphie, then seemed to realize he was sitting on Kairi and quickly scrambled up, scratching the back of his head. "Listen… Selphie…" he said, taking a step forward, reaching out to touch her.

"No." Selphie took a step back, avoiding his hands. "I told you to leave me alone, Mihada. I didn't mean you should go after my friends, too!"

Tidus frowned and said nothing. Selphie turned her attention on Kairi.

"And you," she said, eyes narrowing. "Tidus is a little girly boy! If I can push him off, you can, too!"

Kairi tried not to think about how or why Selphie had tried to push Tidus off. She shook her head. "I swear I wasn't doing anything with him. I swear!"

Selphie narrowed her eyes even further until they were little more than angry slits. She looked from a desperate and half-crying Kairi to an annoyed looking Tidus and frowned. "Get out of here, Tidus. No one wants you here."

"Whatever," Tidus said, giving Kairi a look before heading over to the door. Neither he or Selphie looked at each other as he left. Selphie sighed heavily and put a hand to her head.

"I think I'm gonna need one huge cup of ice cream," she said, releasing a breath.

"Coming right up." Kairi said sympathetically.

-

Cloud flipped through the TV channels in sheer boredom, waiting for Leon to get out of the shower. He would have been more than happy to join Leon in there, but Aerith was home and Cloud was sure that once they got in, they'd never get out.

He'd finally decided on watching some stupid show on Nickelodeon when Aerith appeared in the doorway, holding up a math book. "I don't get it. Can you help?" she asked, sitting on the bed when Cloud scooted over to make room.

He peered down at the math book. "I'm failing math," he said simply, wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible so that he and Leon could have _some_ fun once he got out of the shower.

"Cloud! Come on!" Aerith said, flicking him in the ear. "I know you can help me. You just don't want to because you'd rather be doing Leon. I'd be insulted if I hadn't already been through this before."

Cloud looked at her passively. "I said sorry. And I got you a present."

"I remember. 'Here, Aerith, I got you a golden locket. By the way, I'm leaving you for your brother.' Lovely," Aerith said sarcastically. "But, anyway, please?"

Cloud stared. "No. Besides, it's not my fault that your brother is hotter than you'll ever be."

"WHAT!"

Cloud opened his mouth to reply when he heard the shower stop and picked Aerith up, grabbing her math book with the other hand and dumping both in the hallway. "Sorry, kid, but you gotta go. Good luck."

He heard Aerith huff angrily as he slammed the door shut behind her.

Leon had come out of the bathroom by that time, dressed in nothing but a towel. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Cloud lock the bedroom door. "Did I miss something?"

Cloud shook his head and flopped down on the bed again.

Shrugging, Leon walked over to his dresser, kissing Cloud briefly as he passed, and pulled out a pair of pants and a t-shirt. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"We aren't staying in?" Cloud asked, watching Leon's every move.

If Leon minded, he didn't say anything. He continued getting dressed whether Cloud was watching or not. "Nah, I feel like going out. Maybe take Aerith with us if she's finished her homework."

"She hasn't," Cloud told him quickly.

Smirking, Leon pulled on his shirt and turned around to look at Cloud. "Thanks for telling me. I say we go check up on Tidus and see how things are going with him. Then we can go grab some coffee. Sound good?"

Cloud nodded. Leon grabbed his boots and walked to the bed, sitting down on it and starting to pull them on. He kissed Cloud again once he was finished and got up. "Get dressed. I'll be downstairs."

Cloud got off the bed and was about to go to the closet to get his clothes when Leon opened the door and revealed one angry looking Aerith. Leon glanced behind him as Aerith stormed into the room and proceeded to try and strangle Cloud. "I definitely think I missed something…"

-

"Here's the plan," Ayumi said, pointing at the chart on her giant poster board. Riku blinked at his mother warily. "Sora arrives in less than five minutes. When he gets here, he will be sleeping with you in your room. There's only one bed. If he brought a sleeping bag, I will make sure it disappears by tomorrow afternoon."

Riku blinked as his mother pointed to another chart on the poster board. "When you have Sora lying next to you on the bed, pin him down and screw him for all he's worth."

"Wouldn't that be rape?" Riku asked in a lazy voice, stretching.

Ayumi shook her head. "Of course not. He secretly wants it. By the time you're finished, he won't be protesting." The sound of the doorbell interrupted whatever she was going to say next. "I'll get it. You can put away your present."

Riku glanced down at the box of Trojan condoms his mother had given him earlier and watched as she skipped out of the room. He had the feeling that he was a part of some conspiracy of people determined to get him and Sora in bed together.

Not that he was complaining.

He got up and walked into the kitchen, smiling as he saw his mother and Seiya gossiping while Sora stood by, a huge bag on his shoulders. Riku noted that on top of that bag rested Sora's sleeping bag. Unsurprising.

He grabbed the bags off Sora's back. "I'll take those for you. We're gonna have fun this weekend."

Sora blushed and averted his eyes. "It's too much for you to carry. I'll help." Ignoring the 'aww's that came from their mothers, Sora handed Riku his main bag and followed him upstairs. Riku tossed the bag on the floor, plopping down on his bed and watching Sora set up his sleeping bag.

"You're extraordinarily quiet today," Riku noted curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Like you care," Sora retorted automatically as he opened up his bag. Riku stared at the box that fell out as Sora scrambled to grab it and put it away.

He smirked. "Let me guess. Present from Seiya?" He laughed when Sora nodded. "I got one, too. Except, not the warmth brand."

Sora's face turned a reddish color. "Everybody around here is absolutely crazy. I'm not sleeping with you this weekend – or at all. So get the idea of your head, Riku!"

Riku smirked even more. "You know you want me so bad."

"I know you're a stuck up little… person!" Sora returned, pouting like there was no tomorrow. He blinked when Riku was suddenly in front of him and a warm hand pressed against his cheek. He took a deep shuddering breath. "Don't…"

Riku stroked his cheek gently. "Don't what? Kiss you? Because I really, really want to."

Sora took another deep breath. Riku was so close. Too close. He couldn't breathe. "PARK!" he said suddenly, causing Riku to drop his hand and blink. "Let's go to the park!"

Riku blinked again as Sora suddenly stood up, putting his shoes back on. "Come on, come on, Riku. The park awaits us. We can go on the swings and have ice cream!"

Sighing and realizing he wasn't getting anything but a trip to the park out of Sora right now, Riku stood. "Alright, alright. Let's go, punk."

Sora grinned. "Thanks, Riku," he said in a cute, childlike voice that made Riku groan with the effort of _not_ pinning Sora against the wall and defiling his innocence. Over and over again.

"No problem," Riku answered breathlessly.

-

Ayumi and Seiya high-fived as their sons left the house. Ayumi let go of the curtain and turned to look at her friend. "So. Where will you be hiding all weekend?"

Seiya shrugged her shoulders. "I figured I'd go to Keiko's house." At Ayumi's confused look, she added, "Kairi's Mom. Apparently, Kairi's staying at Selphie's and her husband will be out all weekend. He has a real convention to go to."

They walked into the kitchen, Seiya smirking when she spotted the condoms Riku had left on the table. "Well, Sora's got more than enough so I suppose we should dispose of these."

Ayumi shook her head. "No way! Sex is like Pringles to Riku. Once you start, you can't stop. He and Sora will be doing it nonstop until Sora can't even think about sex without feeling the pain in his backside."

"True," Seiya said, not at all bothered by her friend's choice of words. "And, knowing Sora's love of anything that feels good, he'll be insatiable."

"We should keep a list," Ayumi prompted.

"Of how many places they do it? Hell yeah! We could use it to blackmail them later in life." Seiya agreed with a smirk. "We can find out via Sora's diary."

"Sora keeps a diary?" Ayumi asked as she set a cup of tea down in front of Seiya.

"Of course. 'Dear diary, I can't believe I'm actually falling for that stupid Riku! I'll admit I felt something for him that time when I kissed him for the first time, but I don't want to be in love with him! What am I going to do!'" she quoted off the top of her head. "Invading my son's privacy is the most amusing thing ever."

Ayumi couldn't help but laugh. "I wish Riku kept a diary. He stopped doing that when he discovered he was gay."

Seiya sipped her tea in interest. "When was that?"

Ayumi grinned. "Oh, I remember it so fondly. A long time ago, when Riku was about twelve, he came home with this slightly curious expression on his face. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that he was in the boys' locker room and started looking at the other boys funny. Then he said that he thought he was gay and that I should give him some medicine to remedy the problem immediately because he had a date with this girl – Fuka Midori – the following Friday."

"Oh my gosh, the poor girl!" Seiya said, nearly choking on her laughter. Ayumi joined in the laughter, a nostalgic smile on her face.

"Oh, Fuka was crushed. But Riku was even more crushed because he said, and I quote, 'I was looking to get some action for the first time ever'. I was so shocked." She shook her head and laughed. "I thought he was joking until he brought his first boy home when he was fourteen, believe it or not, and I was awoken to the sounds of something ramming against the headboard in Riku's room."

Seiya laughed even harder. "My God! I'm trusting my son in the hands of a premature nymphomaniac!"

"Oh yes," Ayumi said, grinning in amusement. "But, tell me, when did Sora discover he was gay?"

Seiya snickered. "Oh, that was such a disturbing day. I was sitting innocently in the garden when, all of a sudden, fourteen year old Sora runs in screaming and pointing at his pants saying 'Mom! Mom! The guy on the TV made my hormones act up! MAKE THE HARDNESS GO AWAY!'" She covered her face with her hands as Ayumi broke out laughing. "The neighbor's were staring! For the longest time after that, the whole neighborhood thought I was _doing_ things with my son!"

"What did you do!" Ayumi asked through her laughter.

"About Sora's problem or about the neighbors?"

"Both!"

Seiya laughed. "Well, I made Sora take a cold shower and told him straight out that he was gay and he asked me if I hated him now and I told him 'No, but this means that if you want to go out and have sex, you should go for it. No one can get impregnated and my maternal mind is at ease!' He blushed up a storm and locked himself in his room for days."

They both collapsed in another fit of laughter.

"What screwed up little boys we have," Ayumi said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "They're _perfect_ for each other!"

Seiya smirked. "We just need to get Sora to see that. Hm. How should we do it?"

"We've tried practically everything," Ayumi mused with a sigh, gathering up the plates and putting them in the sink and opening the refrigerator door.

Seiya peered past her at the contents and a wide smirk spread on her face. "Not _everything_."

-

Kairi brought the bowl of popcorn into Selphie's room, watching as the girl snickered maniacally after her starship blew up another one in the Star Wars game she was playing. Kairi laughed, plopping down next to her friend and handing her the bowl of popcorn.

"Thanks, Kairi!" Selphie said, stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth. "I needed a girl's night. Is it okay that I called Yuffie, too?"

Kairi tensed. "Yuffie?"

Selphie, sensing her friend's apprehension, grinned. "Don't worry. I made her swear not to make you do anything. Or blackmail you. Or any of that stuff."

"Thanks," Kairi said, relaxing. She'd been able to keep out of The Populars' grip for the last week; she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up. "I just don't understand what they're trying to do. They're mean to Sora and yet they give Riku to Sora, who everybody knows makes Sora extremely happy."

Selphie shifted on her pillow and went back to blowing up starships. "What? Nobody told you? The whole point was to have Riku go in and do his wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am thing."

Kairi stopped. "What? What whole point? What are you talking about?"

"You know. The whole reason they support Riku and Sora so much is so Riku can screw Sora silly, then screw him over. It's a carefully constructed plan," Selphie said, seemingly unbothered by what she was saying. "I think Sora deserves it. Especially after what he said to me today."

"Wait. So, Riku doesn't love Sora?" Kairi asked, her throat tightening uncomfortably. She was about to be one of three people responsible for running Sora's life? She'd thought Riku was better than that!

Selphie, however, snorted. "Of course Riku loves Sora. He's head over heels for the boy! I don't think there's anybody who could love Sora more!"

Kairi took a breath. "So, then, why is he…"

"Why's who what?" Yuffie asked from the doorway, tossing her pillow on the ground in between the two girls. "The door was open so I let myself in!" She explained as she sat down and stole the popcorn from Kairi. "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing," Kairi said immediately, giving Selphie a look.

Selphie blinked, then shrugged. "We were talking about how Riku has the hots for Sora and whether or not Riku'll put a move on Sora this weekend. Sora's staying over at his house."

Yuffie laughed. "Of course Riku's going to put a move on Sora! All his time is spent putting moves on Sora!"

Selphie and Yuffie laughed, not noticing how quiet Kairi was as the brunette glared at the TV screen and thought.

-

"Faster, Riku, faster!" Sora screamed in ecstasy. "Harder! Push harder!"

Riku laughed, catching Sora as the swing came back and stopping the ride altogether. "If I push any harder, you'll fly off the swing."

Sora beamed up at Riku happily. He loved the park. There was nothing he loved more than going on the swings and the slide and feeding the ducks and roller skating and, of course, the ice cream carts.

"Buy me some ice cream?" Sora asked, getting off the swing.

"No way," Riku said as he and Sora headed towards the fountain in the middle of the park where kids in swim suits were running around. "I've bought you five ice cream bars already. It's amazing you can eat so much and still be skinny."

Sora pouted. "Hey, just because you're fat—"

"Muscular. There's a difference between fat and muscle, hun," Riku said, tweaking Sora's nose and grinning. They walked around the fountain so they wouldn't get wet, heading for the seesaws.

Sora wrinkled his nose, looking up at Riku through his messy bangs. "I'm not fat," he insisted.

"You burn calories when you kiss, you know. The longer you kiss someone, the more calories you burn," Riku told him, a sly grin spreading on his face. "Just for your information."

Sora laughed, his eyes dancing in amusement. "Oh really? I guess you think I should test this out."

"Oh, immediately," Riku said scientifically, nodding. His breath caught in his throat when Sora suddenly stopped, giving Riku a heated look, and leaned upwards until his lips were only a hair's width away from Riku's.

And then just as suddenly pulled away and ran towards the seesaws. "Yeah right!"

"Tease," Riku muttered under his breath as Sora climbed on the seesaw. Riku got on the other side, watching as Sora pushed off from the ground and went upwards. Sighing, Riku copied his motions to keep the seesaw going. "You're mean."

"That's your libido talking," Sora said in a sing-songy voice. "Look past the lust and you'll see how much you really love me."

Riku took a deep breath, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. You're still mean. All I want is one little kiss."

"No," Sora said, beaming.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"PLEASE!"

"No!" Sora rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're begging for a kiss!"

"I can't believe you can watch me beg and not give in!" Riku retorted, staying on the ground and staring up at Sora who was suspended in the air. "I swear to God, I'll sit here until it's Monday if you don't let me kiss you."

Sora pouted. "You're so desperate."

"Anything for you," Riku said, winking. He smirked when Sora nodded, gently easing up so that the younger boy could get off the seesaw without falling. He got off as well, walking over to Sora. He brushed the hair out of the younger boy's face and places a small, chaste kiss on his lips. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Sora's eyes fluttered open and he gave Riku a confused look before pulling away and staring at the ground. "That… You… I just…" he stammered for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm hungry." he said at last.

Riku recognized the abrupt change of subject and nodded. "Sure. Olive Garden's right down the street. I'll buy you something there."

He started walking, glancing behind him to see Sora staring at the ground and following at a much slower pace. "Riku… why didn't you…?" he trailed off, blushing.

Riku smirked, walking back over to Sora and turning Sora's head to the side so the younger boy could see the three-year-olds staring at them with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Sora turned even redder. "Oh…"

"Although, I'd still be willing to scar the children," Riku said, winking as he pressed his lips against Sora's again. "But I think you'd be mad at me."

Sora flushed, forgetting his hunger and ignoring the cry of "Mommy! Mommy! They're kissing!" coming from the toddlers. "I… I wouldn't have been…" he admitted quietly, staring down. "I would've…"

Riku smirked. "In that case, come here. There's something I want to show you."

-

Cloud knocked on Tidus's door, standing back and looking at Leon. The brunette smirked, waiting for the door to open. Tidus appeared in moments, looking slightly disappointed when he saw who it was. "Yeah, what?"

"How're you, T? Haven't seen you in a bit," Leon said, leaning against the wall by the door. Tidus looked over at him.

"Selphie's gone over to their side. She and Kairi are hanging out too much. With the way Selphie is, she'll probably tell Kairi everything and Kairi will tell Sora and that would ruin pretty much the plan," Tidus said, turning his gaze from Leon to Cloud. "What're you? His shadow?"

"His boyfriend," Cloud corrected. "Now."

"Oh. I'm happy for you two. At least one couple around here is happy," Tidus said. Cloud and Leon raised an eyebrow at the bitter tone in Tidus' voice.

Leon spoke up first. "What happened between you and Selphie anyway? Before Kairi's party, you two are making out everywhere—"

"Liar. Just every other day in the Biology Lab," Tidus corrected.

"And now you're not speaking. What'd you do?" Leon finished as if Tidus hadn't spoken at all. "And I know you did something because Selphie loves you to death."

Tidus lowered his gaze and scowled. "I didn't do anything. She dared me to kiss Sora at the party so I did. And then today…" he trailed off, averting his eyes. "I kinda might have kissed Kairi."

"You did what!" Cloud asked in surprise. He hit Tidus on the side of his head. "Is there anything in there? What's wrong with you?"

"Da-amn," Leon said, stretching out the word. "That's messed up. What did you go and do that for?"

Tidus shrugged. "I don't know. She kinda reminded me of Selphie and Sora at the same time, I guess. Anyway, what do I care? She's way too annoying for me to want to go out with."

"Not that she'd go out with you anyway," Cloud added, ignoring the glare he got from Tidus.

"Is that all you came over for? To mock me?" Tidus asked, narrowing his eyes. Leon shook his head.

"Nah. We came to see what kind of mess you've gotten yourself into now. And now that that's over with, we're going out. Try to get your head out of your ass sometime soon, Ti," Leon said, turning and starting to walk away. Cloud smirked and flipped Tidus off before starting to walk as well.

"Bastards," Tidus muttered under his breath, going inside and closing the door.

-

Sora wasn't the least bit surprised when Riku suddenly pulled him down into the grass and then rolled him over, trapping him underneath the older boy. Sora blinked up at Riku, the familiar blush spreading across his face.

"What're you—"

"Giving you that kiss you wanted," Riku answered, leaning down and capturing Sora's lips with his own. He smirked when he heard Sora release a shuddery breath and pulled back a bit, looking down at the adorable boy beneath him. "So cute."

Sora didn't even bother to protest as he tilted his head up, obviously wanting another kiss. Riku happily obliged, kissing Sora more deeply this time and pinning the younger boy even further down onto the grass.

Sora made a small whimpering noise, arching his back and gasping as Riku nibbled at his neck. "Ri-ku…" he said breathlessly. "We can't… We can't… Oh _God_…"

Riku pulled back after a last lick, pushing up the bottom of Sora's shirt. "Mhmm. Whatever you say, Sora," he said, kissing the younger boy's stomach gently. He moved back upwards, kissing Sora once again, his tongue pushing his way past those pouty lips.

Sora clutched at Riku's shirt, breathing heavily. "Riku…" he groaned, pulling the older boy closer. "Rikurikuriku…"

Riku was about to pull Sora's shirt up and off when he heard a rumbling sound and pause, staring down at Sora's stomach. Sora looked sheepish, trying to catch his breath. "I'm hungry."

Riku sighed. "Damn." He reluctantly got off of Sora, helping the boy up, and dusting off his pants. "Fine. Let's go to Olive Garden."

"I want McDonalds," Sora argued, running a hand through his hair to get rid of that 'just been ravaged' look. Riku smirked; as if that helped.

"McDonalds then. Come on," Riku said, snapping his fingers. The sooner Sora ate, the sooner the real fun began.

-

Kairi left Yuffie and Selphie preoccupied with Powerpuff Girls' Movie and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Instead, she ran downstairs to use the phone. She chewed on her pinky nail, falling back into her old nail biting habit as she waited for Seiya to pick up.

"Hello?" said a voice Kairi recognized as Ayumi's.

Kairi breathed deep. "Hello, Ayumi," she said in what she hoped was her normal voice. Unfortunately for her, Ayumi was a mother and mothers were in tune with everything.

"What's wrong, Kairi? Did something happen between you and Selphie?"

"No," Kairi said, glancing up the stairs to make sure neither girl was coming. "I just… really need to talk to Seiya," she paused. "Or, well, maybe you could help. I think… I think Riku's…"

Ayumi's voice cut her off. "Ah, so you know. You realize now that I'm going to have to kill you?"

"Wait, you knew, too!" Kairi said, unable to believe it. She realized she'd just been screaming and moved out of view of the stairs, glancing around the corner to make sure no one had gotten up to investigate.

"I'm a mother. I know everything. Listen, Kairi, try not to worry about it. I know my Riku and he'd rather chew his left leg off than do anything to hurt Sora. He just needs a little guidance. If it bothers you so much, talk to him."

"I can't. I'm not supposed to know! I think Selphie just slipped. She doesn't have that filter between her mind and mouth that keeps her from saying things she's not supposed to!" Kairi pointed out, chewing on her pinky nail again. "I don't want to see Sora get hurt."

"Then don't tell him. And leave us alone. We're plotting," Ayumi huffed. Kairi listened intently and heard the clanging of bottles.

"It sounds more like you're drinking," she said flatly. "Where're Sora and Riku?"

"They're at the park. And the drinking is part of the plotting. Now, shh. Goodbye Kairi." Before Kairi could get another word in, Ayumi had hung up the phone. She sighed, putting the phone down on the hook and going back upstairs.

If Yuffie and Selphie had noticed anything, they didn't show it. Kairi sat back down next to Selphie, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Damn, Kairi. You were gone so long we were starting to think you were sick!" Selphie said bluntly. She and Yuffie cracked up.

Kairi didn't bother correcting them. "Something like that…" she said with a shrug.

-

"And I want a six piece chicken McNuggets Happy Meal, not a four piece, because I always finish the four piece and get hungry for more, and I want a large drink, but they only give out the small ones so I'll just steal yours and—What are you getting anyway?" Riku blinked when he realized Sora was done rambling and stopped pretending to listen in favor of really tuning in to what the brunette was saying.

He glanced at the menu. "Uh… A fish filet meal?"

"Large?" Sora prompted, giving Riku an 'I'm cute so obey my every command' look. Riku stared at Sora, twitching as he realized that, when Sora was looking at him that way, there was nothing he wouldn't do for the boy.

And that scared the crap out of him.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he smiled a bit. "Yeah, okay, large," he agreed, digging his wallet out of his pocket as they reached the counter. "Can I get a six piece chicken McNuggets Happy Meal and a Large Fish Filet Meal?"

Sora ran off to get them a table, Riku's eyes following his every move. He sighed, returning his gaze to the person behind the counter who was getting his order and tapping his fingers against the smooth surface lightly. He was finding it harder and harder to control himself around Sora.

One minute he wanted to pin the brunette to the nearest hard surface and screw his brains out and the next he wanted to hold Sora gently and tell him how much Riku really loved him. It was very hard to restrain himself from doing either.

Shaking his head slightly, he grabbed the food and headed over to the table where Sora was busy playing with a straw and set Sora's Happy Meal down in front of him. "Here you go, your highness."

"Thanks, Ri-ku," Sora said happily, ripping over the bag and abandoning the food in favor of the toy. Riku stared.

"You made me buy you a Happy Meal just so you could get the toy! What about the food?"

Sora looked up at him innocently. "Um… I'll eat it later?"

Riku rolled his eyes, opening up his bag and popping a French Fry in his mouth as he watched Sora play with the Dave the Barbarian toy. He smiled. Honestly, Sora was just too cute! "So, are you having a good time with me? You don't seem to be afraid I'm going to rape you anymore."

"I've learned many things hanging around with you. One is that you don't rape; you molest." Sora said with a nod, setting the toy to the side in favor of eating a chicken mcnugget. "Another thing is that you have a libido the size of Texas."

Riku laughed. "What's the third thing?" To his surprise, Sora blushed. Riku raised an eyebrow, leaning forward when he realized the younger boy was muttering something. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I said… the third thing's that… that I like you." Sora said in such a quiet voice that Riku would have missed it, had he not been listening intently. He froze, nearly falling off his chair. Sora looked up at him, then quickly added. "As a friend I mean. You're a really good friend."

Riku found himself feeling oddly disappointed as he looked down at the table, popping another fry in his mouth. "Oh."

Sora looked up at him again, then looked away, coughing. "Um, yeah. Want a nugget?" He held up the half-eaten piece in his hand. Riku, suddenly depressed, shook his head. Sora sensed the change in Riku's mood immediately and frowned, wondering if he'd done something wrong.

Riku acted as if he were in love with him or something, which, Sora knew, was ridiculous. If Riku were in love with him, he would have said so, wouldn't he?

Yes. He would have.

Sora continued to frown thoughtfully, packing his food away into the bag and watching Riku become absorbed in playing with the napkins. "Er… Riku?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?" Sora questioned, reaching over the table to take Riku's hands and pry them off the napkins. "You seem kinda… Down."

"No, I'm not." Riku denied, turning his attention to putting away the uneaten food. "Well, this trip was a waste of money. I'm not hungry any more and somehow I get the hint that you're not going to eat that either so why don't we head back to my house?"

Sora recognized the blatant subject change and let it go. "Alright. But I _was_ going to eat that. Just for the record." He pocketed the toy and got up, waiting for Riku to dispose of the food before following the older boy out. He was still trying to figure out what he'd done to cause the stifling silence between them.

Well.

The fourth thing Sora had learned from hanging out with Riku was that the older boy's problems were easily forgotten in favor of one thing.

Taking a deep breath, Sora stopped walking. "Riku?"

Riku turned and raised an eyebrow when he realized Sora wasn't walking next to him anymore. He walked back to where Sora was standing, frowning a bit. "Yeah, what?"

Instead of answering with words, Sora grabbed the front of Riku's shirt and pulled the surprised boy down into a searing kiss. Although, Sora didn't really think Riku minded what with Riku suddenly pinning him up against the wall next to the McDonalds window and kissing the hell out of him and all.

And even though he was being molested (and the one to start the molestation this time around), it was okay because Riku was pulling away and smiling and then kissing Sora again and Sora was gasping and trying to breathe because he was feeling that familiar tingling feeling in his stomach that always happened whenever Riku smiled.

It was all worth it as long as he got to see that smile.

-

Cloud followed Leon into the bar, looking around. It seemed like a pretty cozy place, but he couldn't remember having ever come there before. It was probably one of those places Leon went to when he wanted to be alone and didn't want anyone to find him. People seemed to recognize Leon, anyway; a great many of the bar-goers looked up and nodded in Leon's direction.

"Where's this?" Cloud asked, walking alongside Leon and taking a seat on a stool next to him at the counter. Leon smirked a bit.

"This is my bar. My parents used to own it before they died. Technically, it belongs to me." He explained, tapping the counter. A man appeared from the back, grinning upon the sight of Leon.

"Hey, Squall, baby, how are you?" The man said, laughing a bit.

"A, don't call me Squall. B, don't call me baby," Leon returned in what could almost be mistaken for a smile. "Hey, Dan, how are you?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes at Dan suspiciously. He couldn't remember Leon ever mentioning this guy. But then again, Leon had never mentioned this place either. Or that his parents owned a bar.

Leon was becoming a mystery again. Cloud wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing.

"Cloud," Leon said, bringing Cloud out of his thoughts. "This is Dan, a really close friend of the family. Dan, this is my boyfriend, Cloud."

Dan's eyebrows went up. "Isn't this the same Cloud that was dating your sister once upon a time ago? What happened? You discover you were gay and in love with the wrong sibling?"

"Something like that..." Cloud muttered. He blinked in surprise when Dan set a glass of Sangria in front of him and looked up at the man. Sangria was Cloud's favorite brand of alcohol. He looked over at Leon for answers, only to find Leon half-way through his own glass.

"Dan can read people like that. Now, relax. We're here to have fun, not to have you brooding all night. That's my job," Leon said as he finished off his cup and smirked over at Cloud. Cloud stared at him before slowly taking Leon's advice and relaxing. He may not have trusted the place or the people, but Leon did and that was good enough.

-

Riku entered his house, thoroughly, though not completely, satisfied with a blushing Sora trailing after him. They'd been making out against that wall for at least an hour before one of the McDonald's personnel had noticed them and come outside, grabbing both boys by the ear and practically shoving them down the street threatening to call the cops.

The whole experience had served to amuse the hell out of Riku, but, as Sora pointed out, that was merely because Riku was 'The Biggest Exhibitionist and Pervert in the Entire World'.

Needless to say, being forced to be removed from in front of the McDonald's restaurant was the most embarrassing thing that had happened to Sora – all night. The embarrassment quotient had gone up ever since he met Riku.

"Mom?" Riku called, closing the door behind them and looking around at the silent house. "Where are you?"

He received no reply.

"Hm, looks like she went out. Oh well." Riku tossed his coat in the closet and looked back at Sora, stretching. "Let's go up to my room and finish unpacking the rest of your stuff. Did you bring any good video games?"

Sora perked up at the word 'video games' and nodded, practically shoving past Riku to get up the stairs. Riku laughed, running after him and heading for his room, nearly slamming into Sora who was standing in his doorway.

"Hey, why'd you—" He paused, glancing over Sora's head at the case of Red Bull on his bed. "Er… Sora, is there something you're not telling me? You know you don't hold your alcohol well."

Sora glared at Riku over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "A, I didn't bring that and, B, Red Bull wouldn't get me drunk!"

"In that case, let's drink. I'm thirsty," Riku said, walking into his room and popping open a bottle, taking a drink. "Hey, this stuff is really good. I think I prefer Sangria, though." He noticed that Sora was watching him suspiciously from the doorway and rolled his eyes. "Come on. You know you want some."

Sora wrinkled his nose, still looking suspicious. He cautiously took the bottle from Riku and took a drink, licking his lips. "Mm, good." He said. He'd tried Red Bull before, of course, but not very often. He knew what it did to him.

But, then again, Riku deserved whatever he got considering the embarrassment Sora'd been put through.

Unfortunately for Riku, he was too busy finishing off his first bottle to notice when Sora smirked evilly and reached for his second.

-

**Slashy:** -miserable- Riku and Sora are doing it in my bedroom, Cloud and Leon are doing it in my shower. I haven't bathed or slept in days!

**Tidus:** -plugs nose- I can tell.

**Selphie:** -peering in the bedroom- Whoa… I didn't know Sora was so… Flexible.

**Aerith:** -peering in the bathroom- Or that Leon was so kinky.

**Yuffie:** -glancing over Aerith's head- Are those chains!

**Wakka:** -looks over Selphie's shoulder- What is this? They're seventh time?

**Selphie:** Seventeenth.

**Slashy:** -looks ill- Guys… I'm suffocating from my own fumes here. CLOUD! LEON! LET ME BATHE!

**Cloud:** -comes out of bathroom in nothing but a towel, walking funny-

**Leon** -follows, looking thoroughly satisfied-

**Aerith and Yuffie:** -smile innocently and pretend to be watching TV-

**Slashy:** -mutters incoherently and walks into the bathroom- ARGH! -comes out- CLOUD AND LEON! GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASSES IN HERE AND CLEAN MY BATHROOM RIGHT NOW! THE WALLS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BLUE, NOT WHITE! BLUE, DAMN YOU! -bangs on parents' bedroom door- CLOUD! LEON!

Silence-

**Slashy:** TIDUS! Knock down this door!

**Tidus:** -rams shoulder into door- Ow!

**Selphie:** Betcha I could get that open.

**Tidus:** You're on.

**Selphie**: -knocks-

**Cloud:** It's open!

**Selphie:** -opens door and beams-

**Sora: **-comes out of Slashy's bedroom wearing nothing but Riku's coat-

**Slashy**: -glares- I thought you were busy.

**Sora:** Cookie break! Besides, you need new bed sheets again.

**Slashy:** -faints-

**Riku**: Sora, dammit, how long does it take you to get cookies? Did you get lost on your way to the kitchen again?

**Slashy:** -headache- Why did I let all you idiots move into my mind?

**Cloud:** -now dressed- Because you think we're hot?

**Slashy:** -looks at Kairi, Selphie, Aerith, Yuffie, and Wakka- And why are they here?

**Leon: **Just because.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer: **Sora isn't mine. He belongs to Riku. Every part of him. Especially his ass. Riku isn't mine. He belongs to Sora. Every part of him. Especially his (fruity) hair. Kairi isn't mine. She belongs to Square-Enix. Every part of her. Because nobody else would take her.

I do, however, own this plot seeing as it was my weird mind that came up with it, although somebody did say that it reminded them of the movie 'Cruel Intentions'. I've never seen it. Ryan Phillipe is in it though and he is _hot_.

But not as hot as Riku.

**Author's Note: **

**Kari: **Riku is the Silver Haired Sex God. He demands sex.

**Slashy: **So?

**Kari: **Since he is god we have to give him a sacrifice (ie. Sora). And SINCE you insist they can only sleep together in chapter 14…

**Slashy: **...

**Kari: **It has been made by god that 14 comes after 11. You can't argue with the silver haired one. He'll smite you into Kairi-ville.

**Slashy: **AHHHHHHHHHHHH! twitches and shudders

**Kari: **I think I made our point.

This chapter has enough Cloud/Leon and Riku/Sora goodness to satisfy everybody! I hope. Hee.

**Thanks to:**

Swordchick, MorganEddasil, Ivaeddia, hikaruS, Phoenix, Ink2, AJH, kinkydoomhobbit, Willum, WhiteLightning, Tinted Amber, xPEACHSz N CREAMx, Skweeshy, Anukis-san, JaninaKeks, Xeora, Ultima, ChibiNekoSakura, somewhatcrazyhappyperson, PlayingWithFire, PSYCH0tic, Dark Drangel Kira, AllmightyNano1, BadLuckShuichi, Shattered Darkness, Jenni'sHeartofGold, Tama-Kitsune, Neko Kate-chan, shishi-san, Reina-183, XxX Chains XxX, Momochi Zabuza, kuramasgirl13, lordkagome, LiLi-Sama, Risky-reaper,

**Sora's Short Replies (With Commentary By Riku):**

_Chiyosuke _– HA! HA HA HA! As if I would ever allow myself to get molested by that evil **(sexy)**, crazy **(hot)**, sex-obsessed** (you know you want some) **Riku! And you! Don't think I didn't go to your livejournal and see all those horrible **(and yet unbelievably well drawn)** pictures! I would never make out with Riku in the water **(he'd just do it everywhere else)**! I don't like you very much at all **(but _I_ love you and that's what matters)**.

_cammy__-world_ – Fourteen does NOT come after 10 **(yes it does)**. Can't you people count **(we're counting properly. You're the one who can't count)**! And I don't care how many cookies you give me! I'll never forgive you for this **(until I drag him to the bedroom and make him forget for a few… days)**.

_PlayingWithFire_ – Once again, we're not switching anything with anything! The molesting ends here **(or just gets worse)** because I have a plan** (that won't work)** to stop it! I'll… leave **(brilliant, Einstein)** and then when we get to Chapter 14 there will be no sex **(you've been talking to the plot again, haven't you?)**! Bwahahaha **(yeah… don't do that anymore)**.

_Teizontidus_ – Tidus? Fall for Kairi? Never! That's about as likely to happen as me falling for Riku **(okay, that did nothing to reassure anybody, Sora)**. Tidus is just being a bit stupid right now **(the only person whose stupidity surpasses your own) **and… Hey! Did you just insult me, Riku? RIKU!

_Greyspark_ – It's finally happened! I knew this would happen! You've KILLED somebody, Slashy! Do you see what the sick circulation of this fandom has done? Oh woe is me! We should stop this right now before anything else happens **(or we could just continue writing these fics until Sora becomes submissive. Your choice).**

_Kitten4ever303_ – -staring at 'Report Possible Abuse button' with an awed look on his face- Must… press… and… save… self… **(…Now…**** Why did you go and tell him about that button! -ties Sora to a chair-)**

bOb the bUilder – You hate Riku too? Yes! Let's go hate Riku together and eat cookies and be best friends and do each other's hair **(or Sora could just stay here and do me. I think we all know which option is better)**.

**Riku's Long Replies:**

_Lymerai_– Ah, one of my favorite, and more dedicated fans. And, yes, it was terribly fun making out with Sora in the park in front of those poor, defenseless children. You have to plant these seeds very early on in life so they don't grow up to become ignorant homophobes, you know.

Although, Sora would probably disagree and say that scarring small children is not okay no matter what the circumstances, but we all know the truth.

Slashy would also like me to note that this is **not a TidusxKairi story**. Although, that would be an interesting pairing. This is all TidusxSelphie, trust me. Selphie would probably go medieval on Kairi's ass for stealing her boyfriend, but, ahem, maybe that's just me.

Anyway, you're missing the point. This is all about me! …And, Sora, too, I guess.

_Insanehikari_– Another one of my favorites. That is the best advice a mother can give. Who can gaze upon my beautiful face without wanting to jump me? Well, Kairi can, but we all know she's sick in the head.

And I'd just like to note that I do tell him in this chapter so you can stop reprimanding me! Of course, I run away right after I tell him, but at least I told him, right?

Right?

Oh, shut up.

And no video cameras in the bedroom!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO REPLACED MY BEDSHEETS AND GAVE ME THE TOOLS NEEDED TO CLEAN MY BATHROOM! I AM FRESH-SMELLING, RESTED, AND READY TO WRITE!  
-Love Slashy**

**Date Begun:** March 8, 2005 – One month until my birthday and Amon's-Girl's birthday! Hell yeah!

**Date Posted:** DATE "MMMM d, yyyy" April 3, 2005

**Chapter 12:** I Don't Mind

_Sights and sounds pull me back down another year _

_I was here; I was here _

_Whipping past the reflecting pool _

_Me and you, skipping school _

_And we make it up as we go along _

_We make it up, we go along _

_You said you raced from Langley _

_Pulling me underneath a cherry blossom canopy _

_Do I have? _

_Of course I have! _

_Beneath my raincoat_

_I have your photographs_

_And the sun on your face _

_I'm freezing that frame _

_And somewhere Alfie cries and says,_

_"Enjoy his every smile_

_You can see in the dark through the eyes of Laura Mars." _

_"How did it go so fast?" You'll say _

_As we are looking back _

_And then we'll understand _

_We held gold dust in our hands._

**_- Gold Dust by Tori Amos_**

****

****

Riku was very, very afraid.

Why hadn't he realized that Sora had finished off a grand total of five and a half cans of Red Bull? Why couldn't he have foreseen the horror that was to befall him? Riku sighed from his place on the bed, laying sideways with his head propped up with his elbow. His aquamarine eyes were following Sora's every move.

"I'm a goofy goober! ROCK!" Sora was singing at the top of his lungs, kneeling on the floor and playing air guitar. "You're a goofy goober! ROCK! We're all goofy goobers! ROCK! Goofy goofy goofy goofy goober! ROCK!"

Riku twitched.

"'Put your toys away'. Well then I got to say, when you tell me not to play, I say NO WAY! No no no no way!"

"Sora, can you please"

Sora hopped up off the floor and dived on the bed, knocking Riku onto his back. Riku winced and looked up at the incredibly hyper brunette that was now sitting on him and poking him in the nose. "'I'm a kid' you say. When you say I'm a kid I say 'Say it again.' And then I say Thanks! THANKS! Thank you very much. So if you thinking that you'd like to be like me, go ahead and try. The kid inside will set you free!"

Riku really wished that Sora would get off him because it was damn near impossible for him to have Sora that close to him without his mind drifting to the gutter and he was afraid that if Sora scooted backwards a few inches, he'd run into the 'problem' Riku was trying to stifle. "Sora, get off me."

"I'm a goofy goober. ROCK!" Sora sang on, ignorantly. "You're a goofy goober! ROCK!"

Riku realized that Sora was bouncing up and down in time with the beat and groaned again. _Ugh,_ he thought, trying to think of things that would get Little Riku to calm down. _Tidus naked. His algebra teacher naked. Kairi in a muumuu. _

He felt sick to his stomach, but his problem hadn't lessened one bit.

"We're all goofy goobers! ROCK! Goofy goofy goofy goofy goober!" Sora bounced one last time, falling backwards. "YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The brunette erupted into peals of uncontrollable laughter before he stilled completely and blinked. Riku groaned again as Sora shifted and sat up and then looked down. Sora smirked. "Little Riku's happy."

"Oh god." Riku said, twitching.

"Did Sora make Little Riku happy?" Sora pressed in the same smug-yet-innocent voice. "I bet Little Riku wants Sora to be his plaything. Doesn't he?" Riku wisely chose not to answer that particular question. Sora beamed even more, then hopped up, landing safely on the floor. He chuckled evilly. "He'll have to catch me first!"

Riku sat up, watching as Sora ran out of the room. He heard Sora's footsteps pounding down the stairs and blinked. _Note to self_, he thought, _never give Sora Red Bull_. Not only did it give Sora wings, it also gave him a mountain of energy.

"RIKUUUUUUU! COME AND GEEEET MEEEE! I WANT TO PLAAAAAAY WITH YOOOOU!"

Riku smirked. "I want to play with you, too," he said as he got up and headed downstairs, trying to keep his thoughts relatively clean.

He didn't succeed.

-

Kairi grabbed a stand of her hair, holding it out from the rest and giving Selphie a meaningful look. "What is this?" she demanded.

Selphie stared at her blankly. "A… hair?" she tried, blinking a bit.

"What kind of hair? I mean, what color is it?" Kairi demanded again, tugging out the hair with a wince and holding it directly in front of Selphie's face. The green-eyed girl blinked, narrowing her eyes and staring.

"A… red hair?" Selphie said after a bit, sounding as if she were seriously doubting Kairi's sanity at this point.

"Ha! Don't you lie!" Kairi frowned, stepping back and looking at the hair in her hand. "It's gray. I've got a gray hair."

Yuffie snorted, turning it into a cough when Kairi fixed her with a glare.

"Now, which one of you wants to tell me why I have a gray hair?"

Selphie crawled over to join Yuffie on the bed, figuring that if Kairi attacked, at least she could hide behind Yuffie and survive for just a little while longer. Yuffie shrugged her shoulders, humoring the girl. "Why do you have a gray hair, Kairi?"

"Because…." Kairi said, pausing dramatically. "I am here and Sora is probably out getting raped and molested and all kinds of illegal sexual things!" she finished, folding her arms.

Yuffie blinked slowly. "And this is… bad?"

Kairi rolled her eyes and let the hair fall to the Lost Lands of Carpet Hairs. "Yes. Yes it is. You know what I think we should do?"

"Um, move out of the way so Selphie and I can finish watching 10 Things I Hate About You?" Yuffie suggested, motioning with her hands for Kairi to do just that.

"No," Kairi said flatly. "We should go over to Riku's house and check up on them. You know, to make sure that Sora's alright."

Selphie snickered. "I'm sure Sora's alright. In fact, he's probably in the depths of happiness right now." She quieted down at the look Kairi gave her. "I mean… Um… Yeah, let's go check up on Sora…."

"But Heath Ledger is about to sing!" Yuffie protested with a groan. "I don't want to go check up on Sora when Heath is singing."

"That's what the 'stop' button is for," Kairi said, grinning as she turned off the TV. "Come on! Operation: Keep Sora Alive is underway."

"I've heard the Happy Sunshine Insane Asylum accepts late admissions," Yuffie whispered to Selphie as they followed Kairi down the stairs.

"Maybe if we call those nice guys in white suits, they can get here before she eats us," Selphie whispered back.

-

Riku peered under the table for any sign of Sora and sighed. The brunette had gone into hiding at least an hour ago and Riku had been unable to find him since.

He folded his arms and listened, trying to see if Sora was making any sounds, but there was silence except for the ticking of the hall clock. He sighed again. "Sora?"

There was no answer.

"Come on, Sora. Where are you?"

When the silence persisted, Riku headed out of the kitchen and into the hallway. He checked the hall closet and found nothing, then headed towards the living room. He blinked when he saw Sora sitting in front of the television, unblinking.

"Uh…" He walked over, peering at the TV screen. "Sora, why are you watching The Discovery Channel on mute?"

Sora leaned his head back to look at Riku, blinking at long last. A smirk curved on his face. "I was waiting to see how long it would take you to find me, Ri-ku."

"Um," Riku said, gulping at the low tone Sora's voice had suddenly taken. "Well… I found you."

Sora got up, smiling in an innocent way that made Riku instantly suspicious. "And what are you going to do with me now that you've found me?"

"Screw you until the only words in your vocabulary are 'Riku', 'faster', and 'harder'?" Riku guessed, vocalizing his current thoughts. It was a miracle he was even thinking at all considering most of the blood in his brain had rushed elsewhere.

Sora snickered. "No."

"Damn," Riku said with a sigh. "Okay, kiss the hell out of you?"

Another snicker. "No."

"Then what?" Riku groaned, his hand starting to reach out for Sora of its own free will. Sora stepped away, successfully avoiding being grabbed and smiled cutely.

"Let's play… tag," Sora said, smiling. He stepped close to Riku and kissed him lightly on the lips, then just as quickly pulled away. "You're it."

Riku watched Sora go tearing off down the hallway and started walking after him. He grabbed a scarf from the hall closet as he passed it. Next time he found Sora, the brunette wasn't going _anywhere_.

-

Cloud lay down on Leon's bed once again, staring at the ceiling. Leon was downstairs rummaging through the cabinet for a good movie and Aerith was in bed. Cloud couldn't seem to shut his mind off.

He'd thought he knew everything there was to know about Leon and it bothered him that he was wrong. Sure, Leon was practically a mystery inside an enigma wrapped up between the pages of a Nancy Drew book, but still.

Cloud had never really had a problem understanding the brunette before. And he'd definitely never had to worry whether there was something about Leon that he didn't know. There never was.

Well, at least there never was _before_. Now he wasn't so sure.

He was busy scowling at the ceiling when he heard the door open and close and amused voice asked, "Did you and my roof get into another fight?"

Cloud turned his head to look at the brunette in the doorway, watching as Leon walked over to the television and turned it on. He didn't say a word, but if Leon found this odd he didn't comment. "We're watching The Ring."

"That's nice," Cloud said as he looked up at the ceiling again. There was a moment of silence before his glaring contest with the roof was broken as Leon's face blocked his view. Cloud frowned. "What?"

"You are the moodiest person I know," Leon informed him as he crawled onto the bed and looked down at Cloud. Cloud was momentarily distracted by Leon's extremely tight pants, but then his eyes returned to Leon's face and he blinked.

"Is that a problem?" Cloud asked, sitting up so that Leon wasn't hovering over him anymore.

Leon rolled his eyes. "What's bothering you? Did you not like the seventeen glasses of Sangria you had? How did you do that without getting drunk?"

"I don't get drunk," Cloud answered simply. "I have a very high tolerance for alcohol. I've tested this before."

Leon didn't let him get away with the subject change. "What's wrong, Cloud?"

"Nothing."

With a sigh, Leon leaned over and straddled the blonde's hips, pinning Cloud's hands above his head. "What's wrong?"

Cloud looked up at him, then tilted his head away. "I just told you. Are we going to watch the movie or not?"

"No, I'm going to sit here until you tell me why you suddenly have a stick crammed up your ass," Leon said calmly, continuing to pin Cloud down to the bed. The blond rolled his eyes and sighed, hoping Leon was prepared to sit up there for the rest of the night.

-

_I'm too sexy for my love  
Too sexy for my love  
Love's going to leave me_

Riku blinked as he heard the pounding melody of Right Said Fred coming from the living room. It sounded like Sora had gotten bored of playing tag. He walked back the way he'd come, still holding the scarf in his hands and half-tempted to grab something to hit Sora with, if necessary.

As soon as he got to the doorway, he was met with the sight of Sora dancing around. That wouldn't have surprised him if it wasn't for the _way_ the brunette was dancing.

He very much reminded Riku of a pole dancer in a strip club with the way Sora was slowly sliding his body from side to side with the beat and smirking when he realized Riku was there.

Every movement of Sora's hips and every wink sent in his direction was driving Riku wild.

_I'm too sexy for my shirt  
Too sexy for my shirt  
So sexy it hurts_

Riku's vision was suddenly clouded by fabric. He pulled Sora's shirt off his face and stared at the half-naked boy that was still dancing. Sora hopped up on the low table and ran his hands down his sides, glancing over his shoulder at Riku with a 'come hither' look.

Riku swallowed and tried to remind himself how to breathe.

_And I'm too sexy for __Milan_

_Too sexy for __Milan_

_New York__ and __Japan_

Sora's hands were working on the buttons of his jeans. Riku's eyes widened as he stepped further into the room and dropped the scarf. He didn't think he was going to need it. At the rate Sora was going, the only thing that would be keeping Sora down would be Riku's body.

Sora would be very lucky if he was still a virgin after the night was over.

The brunette continued dancing, oblivious of Riku's dirty thoughts, but the look on Riku's face amused Sora greatly.

_And I'm too sexy for your party_

_Too sexy for your party_

_No way, I'm disco dancing_

Sora laughed and swiveled his hips, hopping off the table and stalking towards Riku. The brunette laughed again at the look on Riku's face. Sora turned around and patted his butt.

"You know you want my ass," He said with a smirk.

Riku's hand reached out to grab him, but Sora quickly moved away and got back on the table.

_I'm a model_

_You know what I mean_

_And I do my little turn on the catwalk_

_On the catwalk_

_On the catwalk, yeah_

_And I shake my little tush on the catwalk_

Sora shook his butt and got off the table again, his jeans slipping down his waist. Riku caught sight of a pair of blue boxers, hanging a bit off a creamy white waist. He swallowed, pausing to try and control his breathing.

"Sora…" he groaned, unable to take it anymore.

Sora laughed. "Yes, Ri-ku?"

That was the last thing he got to say before Riku attacked.

-

Kairi continued leading the 'troop' along to Riku's house, worrying her head off. What if Ayumi was wrong? What if Riku wasn't in love with Sora and was just faking it to get in Sora's pants?

And, really, how would Riku getting laid help the popular kids?

She was missing something important, she knew, but she couldn't very well ask Selphie with Yuffie there with them.

So her only option was to continue the crusade to Sora's house and hope Riku and Sora weren't going at it. If Sora got hurt, it would be all her fault. She'd encouraged it for pity's sake! She'd continuously tried to get Sora to see what a good guy Riku was.

Good guy. Yeah, _right_.

Kairi glanced behind her to see that Selphie and Yuffie had stopped walking and turned around, looking at them curiously.

"Hold perfectly still," Yuffie whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "Maybe it won't attack."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Ha, very funny guys."

"Oh no! It's seen us! Run!" Selphie screeched, laughing as she darted part Kairi, with Yuffie on her heels. Kairi rolled her eyes once again, wondering where those two had gotten the idea that she was psychotic. She was completely and perfectly sane.

For the most part.

"Great. Now I'm starting to think I'm insane," she muttered as she followed after them in the direction of the Masaki residence. "Guys! Come on, wait for me!"

Selphie and Yuffie had stopped at the end of the street and were peering into someone's window. Kairi blinked, realizing that had arrived at Riku's house already. She really had to stop thinking so much.

Reality beckoned.

Yuffie was giggling while Selphie while was whining, "Damn, why didn't I bring my camera? Damn, damn, damn…" Over and over. Kairi raised an eyebrow at them and peeked over their shoulders.

Sora was standing on top of a table, shirtless and dancing around while a stunned Riku stood in the doorway, a scarf and a t-shirt by his feet. He looked torn between fear and lust.

It was obvious which emotion would dominate.

Kairi kept her eyes on Sora. Something was off about him. The only time Sora ever listened to Right Said Fred was when he was hyper. A discarded can on the ground by the table confirmed her suspicions.

"Oh no…" Kairi said, slowly backing away from the window before Sora spotted her. "Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

Yuffie and Selphie exchanged glances once again.

Yuffie was the one who attempted to soothe the obviously psychotic girl. "Kairi… It's just Sora… He's not going to hurt you… especially not on the other side of the window…"

"No, you don't understand!" Kairi persisted, grabbing Yuffie and Selphie and dragging them away from the window as well. "You've never seen Sora drink Red Bull. I have. It's not pretty."

She shook her head as she remembered. "It was, like, last year. We were having a sleepover at his house and we found his mom's stash of Red Bull. Sora drank five cans of it." She shuddered as she continued. "He stripped, he tried to 'fly' off the roof, and he licked me, convinced I was a new flavor of candy, until I hid in the closet and he fell asleep."

Selphie blinked. "Sora licked you?"

"He obviously has no taste," Yuffie coughed into her hand, ignoring the glare she received from Selphie and Kairi simultaneously.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "We've got to get out of here and come back when it's safe. You do not want to see Sora after he's had some Red Bull. You'll be scarred for the rest of your natural life, I swear."

"Okay then. I really didn't want to see Sora naked anyway," Selphie huffed, folding her arms. "Let's go back to my house and finish up the movie. Then we can stay up all night and giggle like school girls!" She giggled as a demonstration, locking arms with Yuffie and then with Kairi. "Ready, gal pals?"

Yuffie laughed at Selphie's sudden enthusiasm. "Ready!"

"Ready…" Kairi chipped in, glancing behind her at the house before she headed back up the block to the slumber party, leaving Riku to his doom. She wondered which one of them would return to school alive.

-

They fell back onto the couch, with Riku pinning Sora's arms over his head. Sora snickered, looking up at Riku innocently. He shifted a bit, then smirked.

"Ri-ku," he said in a child-like voice. "You're 'happy' again."

Riku glared at him.

"Is that for me?" Sora asked as he shifted again, causing Riku to groan. Sora's voice still sounded perfectly childish. "Am I making you excited?"

Riku shut Sora up with a fierce kiss, sliding his tongue past the brunette's lips and plundering the hot, moist cavern. Sora made a small noise at the back of his throat and kissed him back, tangling his tongue with Riku's and moaning softly.

Two seconds later, Riku found himself flat on his back with Sora straddling him. Riku blinked, swallowing at the smirk on Sora's face.

"I want to be seme," Sora announced, trailing a finger down Riku's chest. "You always get to be on top."

"Height rule," Riku muttered, shivering and locking eyes with Sora. "And I'm the more experienced one."

"But I'm the cute one. And I can make you do this," Sora swiveled his hips once, then twice, blinking innocently when Riku groaned and clamped his eyes shut. "I can make you do that. So, it's only natural that I should be seme."

Riku was really in no mood to complain. He had to concentrate on breathing. In… Out… In… Out…

Of course, that mantra didn't help at all since it led his mind to dirtier things, so he merely groaned and pulled Sora down for another kiss. Sora smirked into the kiss, returning it whole heartedly. Riku was thankful that the younger boy didn't squirm much after that.

-

Almost an hour later, and the two teens were still at a stalemate. Cloud was determinedly staring at the ceiling in silence while Leon was busy staring at him with the same amount of determination.

Neither of them said a word.

"Okay, this is going to sound weird," Aerith said from the door. "But I can't seem to sleep without the familiar banging against the headboard that I have to put up with every night."

Cloud and Leon glared at her.

Aerith walked further into the room, yawning. "So, what's wrong with you two?" she asked, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that Leon was straddling Cloud on the bed. "In such a position, I'm surprised you both still have your clothes on."

"What position? He won't get off me," Cloud informed her, giving Leon a dull glare which the brunette ignored completely.

"Cloud's sulking about something or other and he's not talking, so I'm not moving," Leon added to Cloud's explanation, watching as Aerith pulled up a chair and stretched a bit.

She smiled in amusement. "So, basically, you're having a lover's spat? So soon? I'd say you were better off with me, Cloud."

The matching glares she received made her hold up her hands in a surrendering gesture. "It was a joke! A statement of humorous intent? Us people with personalities tell them often."

"Aerith, either say something of importance, or get out." Leon said flatly, looking down at Cloud with an 'I'm prepared to stay here all night if I have to' look in his eyes.

Cloud returned it with a glare that plainly said 'Bring it on'.

"Okay, could you guys stop the silent conversation? I'm still here," Aerith pointed out, waving a hand and breaking their locking gazes. "Now, Cloud, how about you just tell Leon what's bothering you so we can all get some sleep?"

"How about you go back to bed and watch dirty videos until the banging from the tape lulls you to sleep?" Cloud returned snidely.

"How about not?" Leon inputted, glaring at Cloud. "Let's try not to put dirty thoughts into Aerith's head."

"She can't fall asleep unless we're screwing. How much dirtier do you think her mind can get?" Cloud asked with a raised eyebrow. They both turned to look at Aerith who was watching them with an innocent expression on her face.

"What?" she asked, blinking angelically.

"Go back to bed, Aerith," Leon and Cloud said simultaneously. Aerith muttered incoherently under her breath, but got up and exited the room. Once they heard her bedroom door slam closed, Cloud returned to staring at the ceiling and Leon returned to staring at him.

The stalemate waged on.

-

Sora could feel the hard grip of reality trying to break through the sugary haze of his mind, but his entire body felt like it was on fire and he was so very warm and he didn't want this new found warmth to ever, ever stop.

He was vaguely aware of hands tangled in his already messy hair, but that was alright because, he realized, his own hands were busy as well, fisting in the fabric he was clutching onto for dear life.

And as the haze began to fade further, he became aware that he was sitting atop something warm, yet hard and it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. He could vaguely hear low groans and whimpering moans, then gasped as he realized those sounds were coming from _him_.

Groaning because the haze was almost completely gone, but he still lacked the ability to have a coherent thought, he opened his eyes only to find that his lips were currently connected to Riku's.

When did _that_ happen? And… why were they on the living room couch?

And what the hell was with the suggestive music?

Sora's expression changed into one of confusion as he tried to get the answers to his questions out of Riku, who was making it difficult to talk since he couldn't seem to stop kissing Sora for longer than half a second at a time.

"Ri… Riku—mmph!" Sora managed to get out, trying to pull out of the kiss. He gave up after three failed attempts and just melted into it again, reveling in the delicious warmth that was pooling in his stomach.

Why was he fighting this? It felt so… _right_ and good and absolutely perfect and he never, ever wanted it to stop.

Riku seemed to notice that Sora had lost his will to dominate and quickly flipped them over, trapping Sora between himself and the couch. "You're amazing, you know that?" the white-haired boy murmured as he stroked Sora's cheek.

Sora could feel his face heating up as the warmth in his stomach intensified. "I-I am?"

Riku chuckled low in his throat. "Yes, you are," he said, leaning down and giving Sora a gentle kiss that was just a mere brushing off lips, no tongue involved. "So… Are you calm now?" Riku asked once he'd pulled away.

"Calm. Yes." Sora answered, blinking a bit. "No more Red Bull ever again."

"That's something we can agree on." Riku laughed. "You were scaring the hell out of me. Playing hide and seek, stripping—"

"Stripping!"

Riku pointed downward and Sora followed the hint, looking down at himself. He nearly choked on his own spit as he realized that he was shirtless and his pants were close to falling off. He hadn't noticed his state of indecency because he'd been… preoccupied.

"Riku… were you going to rape me?" Sora asked in a completely mortified voice.

"No… well… not really…" Riku shrugged and kissed Sora once again. "You just seemed so responsive. And, besides… look what you did." He gestured towards the lower half of his body and, in turn, his problem.

Sora's face flamed once again. "I did that?"

"Yes, you did. Now what are you going to do about it?" Riku asked in amusement. There was a moment of silence in which they stared at each other without moving an inch.

Then they both attacked in a fury of crashing lips and tangling tongues and Sora once again lost the ability to form a coherent thought as Riku left his mouth to trail kisses along his very sensitive neck.

"Riku…" he groaned, arching his back as his hands reached out to grab something – _anything_. They ended up tangling in Riku's hair, keeping the older boy from pulling away.

Riku had no plans of doing so, anyway.

-

Selphie was settled into the lime green bean bag chair by her bed, about to ask another question for their rousing game of 'I Never' when the phone rang. She paused, watching Kairi stretch over the bed to grab it and tilted her head to the side.

"Hello?" Kairi answered, busy painting her toenails a dull pink color with her free hand. She dropped the polish on the bed in surprise, then immediately picked it up before it could spill. "What do you want? I still hate you."

Selphie didn't need any more hints after that. Her eyes narrowed. Yuffie, who was sitting on the floor in front of her since Selphie had also been braiding her hair, immediately moved away.

"Yes, she's here, but I don't think she wants to talk to—"

"GIVE ME THE PHONE!" Selphie cried in a warlike voice as she leapt across the room, tackling a surprised Kairi and ripping the phone from her grasp. She sat down, seemingly unaware that she was crushing Kairi and the redhead couldn't breathe with Selphie sitting on her like that. "Mihada?"

"When did we get back to a last name basis?" Tidus' voice sounded strangely sheepish. However, Selphie was not in the mood to be forgiving.

"About the time you tried to get in Sora's pants. When was that? Last year? A week ago? Time sure flies," she said in a cold, clipped tone. "Why are you calling, Mihada? I think you made it quite clear that we're through—"

"Selphie…"

"—when you kissed Sora—"

"Selph…"

"—or maybe when you kissed Kairi. What was that about, anyway? She's giving you what I wouldn't?"

"Hey!" Kairi's breathless voice protested. Selphie looked down, realizing that Kairi was turning a slightly pink shade from lack of air. She shot Kairi an apologetic look, getting up and sitting on the bed rather than on her friend.

"Selphie, listen… I'm sorry," Tidus said quietly. Selphie opened her mouth to yell obscenities at him, but he quickly cut her off. "And before you start yelling at me, just listen for a second."

"You've got exactly thirty seconds before I hang up on your ass," Selphie hissed, checking the clock.

Tidus sighed. "Fine. Look… When Sora turned me down last year, it kind of stung a bit, okay? I mean, I'm _me_ and he was the first person to do that so it was a matter of pride, I guess. And it was great that you were there for me and I _did_ mean it when I kissed you that night when we started going out."

"Fifteen seconds," Selphie said, swallowing and ignoring the concerned looks Yuffie and Kairi were giving her.

"Right. So, I suppose there's this one part of me that still doesn't forgive Sora for doing that to me last year, which is why I want to get him back for it. I mean, he was the first and only guy I ever liked that way and… Well, yeah." Tidus continued. Selphie could practically picture the way he was glaring at the wall for having to confess all of this.

Usually, the thought would have made her smile.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, forgetting she was supposed to be keeping time. "Wh-what about Kairi?"

"She was just pissing me off," Tidus said flatly. "And I knew if I tried covering her mouth, she'd just bite me so I kissed her instead. It was stupid, I know, but it was as far as I could think at the time. She was trying to _kill_ me when you walked in."

Selphie stared directly across at the wall, a blank expression on her face. "Oh."

"So," Tidus said uncomfortably after a moment of silence. "Do you forgive me?"

Selphie continued staring at the wall without speaking, chewing on her lower lip. "No," she whispered, setting the phone down on the receiver.

Yuffie sat down on the bed next to the suddenly silent girl, shooting Kairi a worried look before returning her eyes to her friend. "Selph? Selphie, are you okay?"

Selphie swallowed again, her vision getting blurry. "No."

-

Cloud had lost the feeling in his legs and Leon showed no sign of moving so he sighed and closed his eyes. "My leg's asleep," he muttered, reopening his eyes and locking his eyes with Leon's.

"Aw, poor baby," Leon said sarcastically, not taking his ice blue eyes off his boyfriend, who, he noted, had been sulking for a consecutive three hours now. Not that this was a record for Cloud.

"I think you've cut off the circulation to it," Cloud tried again, frowning.

Leon didn't budge. "I think so, too."

"Alright," Cloud sighed. "Let the blood flow back into my leg and I'll talk," he said, folding at last. He sighed in relief as Leon smirked and got off him, sitting next to him on the bed instead and giving Cloud an expectant look.

"Well?" Leon asked when Cloud said nothing.

"…I didn't know your parents owned a bar." Cloud's voice was so quiet that Leon wouldn't have been able to hear, had it not been for their close proximity. But hear he did.

His lips curved into an amused smile as Cloud averted his eyes. He didn't have to say anymore; Leon understood him perfectly.

Leon knew he wasn't the easiest guy to figure out or get to know. He also knew Cloud prided himself on being one of the few people who could read Leon like a book and who knew more about him than anyone else.

It was almost sweet, really.

He looked down at Cloud, who was still staring at the wall as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world, and smiled. "I've got a birthmark on my hip." Leon said quietly.

Cloud's eyes flicked up to meet his. "I know."

"My favorite color's red," the brunette continued, still smiling vaguely. Cloud's face was a whirlwind of confusion.

"I know."

Leon brushed a stray lock of hair from Cloud's face. "The only kinds of shoes I own are combat boots."

"I _know_, Leon," Cloud said, sitting up and giving Leon a frustrated glare. Leon merely grinned back.

"Yes. _You_ know."

Understanding dawned on the blond and he smiled sheepishly, laying back down on the bed. "Yeah."

"So, done sulking?" Leon asked as he laid down on his side facing Cloud with his head propped up by his arm.

Cloud laughed. "I'm done."

"Good. Ready to watch The Ring?" Leon held up the movie and shook it from side to side until the smile on Cloud's face grew. "Yes? Great. I'll put it in and you sit here and look hot."

"I'm good at that," Cloud said with a smirk, rolling onto his stomach and watching Leon head over to the VCR.

Or, more specifically, watching Leon's _ass_ as Leon headed over to the VCR.

"Finally! I thought you two would never make up!" Aerith's voice called sweetly from the hallway. "I was prepared to spend the entire night in the kitchen, eating ice cream until I was too exhausted to move!"

Leon and Cloud exchanged glances, then charged out the door to forcibly put Aerith to bed.

She never stood a chance.

-

Riku was quite sure that Sora was some kind of new drug. He had to be. The brunette was positively addicting and Riku couldn't get enough.

He buried his head against Sora's neck, inhaling the strawberry scent that radiated off the younger boy as his tongue flitted out for a taste. He smirked at the loud moan this prompted from the boy squirming under him and repeated the action.

"Riku!" Sora groaned again, his hands fisting in Riku's hair. Riku kissed a slow trail along Sora's neck to his chin and along his jaw back to his lips, his tongue slipping into the brunette's mouth immediately.

This, he reflected during one of the brief pauses they took for air, was turning out to be a mutual seduction since he couldn't seem to think straight with Sora so close to him and making those _delicious_ noises.

Sora made a whimpering noise as Riku's hands slid along his bare chest and Riku took a shuddery breath as Sora shifted, causing their hips to rub together.

Riku paused a moment, clamping his eyes shut. "Damn, Sora!" He kissed the younger boy fiercely, letting his mind go blissfully blank. He took a deep breath, brushing his lips across Sora's cheek. "Damn."

Sora sighed blissfully, opening his eyes to look up at Riku. They locked gazes and Riku held his breath, overcome with emotion. He swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away.

"I love you," he said breathlessly, unaware of what he was saying. He leaned down and capturing Sora's lips with his own. "I love you so much."

Sora tensed up under him, unresponsive, and Riku paused in his ministrations, pulling back to give the brunette a confused look.

"Wh-what did you say?" Sora asked, his voice and face betraying his complete and utter shock. He looked almost hopeful, which made Riku even more confused than before. Riku blinked, replaying the situation back in his mind to figure out what he could have said to make Sora so surprised.

As soon as his mind caught up with his mouth, he froze, returning Sora's shocked gaze. The brunette shifted uncomfortably, blinking as Riku seemed to space out right on top of him. Sora shifted again, unpinning his arms and frowning.

"Riku," Sora tried again, waving a hand in front of the boy's face. "Riku… Did you just say you… _love_ me?"

Riku paused.

And just as suddenly, he let Sora go and got off him, practically racing out the door. Sora sat up and blinked as he heard Riku's footsteps heading upstairs.

A small smile was spreading on his face. Riku _loved_ him. Riku loved _him_.

And, really, that was all he needed to know.

-

Kairi bit her lip as she watched a despondent Selphie cover her head with the pillow and lay still. Selphie wouldn't tell either of them what she and Tidus had been talking about. Selphie just plain wouldn't say anything, which was weird because, usually, she never shut up.

She sat down on the bed next to Selphie's limp form. Yuffie was downstairs mixing up some hot chocolate since, as she explained, Kairi was better with words and Yuffie was better with sugar. She placed a hand on the pillow, about to pull it away when Selphie's hands clamped over it and prevented her from doing so.

"Move this pillow and I will gnaw your arms off," Selphie said in a low, dangerous voice. Kairi quickly pulled her hand away and instead clasped them together.

"What happened between you and Tidus?" Kairi asked tentatively, once Selphie had gone immobile again. The brunette said nothing. "Oh, come on, Selphie. I know what a jerk he is first-hand. You can talk to me."

"Oh, right, like you got a good grasp on his personality when he was busy ramming his tongue down your throat, you dime store whore."

Kairi frowned. "I'm going to pretend that's the emotional trauma talking."

"You delude yourself a lot, don't you?" Selphie returned, her voice still muffled by the pillow she insisted on keeping over her head. Kairi sighed, giving the girl a frustrated look and standing up. She grabbed the pillow and gave a firm tug, ripping it away from Selphie's grasp and tossing it across the room.

Selphie sat up abruptly and narrowed her eyes. "What did you do that for!"

"Because your name is Selphie Says Do It not Please Pity Me Polly!" Kairi said, hands on her hips. She ignored the confused look Selphie shot her, knowing the girl was doubting her sanity again. "You are not going to spend the rest of this slumber party laying on this bed and moaning about how your boyfriend is an asshole who doesn't love you!"

"This coming from the girl who gets crushes on gay guys?" Selphie shot back, her own hands on her hips as she knelt on the bed. "I reserve the right to sulk if I want to! Who do you think you are telling me I can't?"

"Oh, I don't know. Your friend, maybe?" Kairi shouted, her voice raising. "Tidus is a low-down filthy bastard, okay? Accept it and move on! There are plenty of other fish in the sea!"

"A, you don't know anything about Tidus. B, fish give me hives!" Selphie shouted as well, her tone matching Kairi's.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"How am I supposed to know what you mean? I can't read minds, let alone ones that don't exist!"

"Would you stop insulting me so we can sit down and have an actual conversation?"

"I'll stop screaming if you try not to yell!"

Kairi gave Selphie a flat look. "That made no sense," she said, her voice returning to its normal decibel level. She folded her arms and sighed. "Look, Selphie, why are we even fighting in the first place?"

"Because you don't know how to stay out of other people's business," Selphie answered without missing a beat. "What happens between me and Tidus is none of your business and I don't want to talk about it, okay? I just…" She sighed, sitting down on the bed again. "I miss how he used to be."

Kairi sat down next to her, giving her a confused look. "What do you mean 'how he used to be'?" As far as Kairi knew, Tidus had always been that way. He hadn't shown any signs of being a compassionate human being… ever. The only time she'd ever seen him even have feelings was when he asked Sora out, and that was short-lived.

Selphie drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, staring at the floor. "After Sora turned him down in freshman year… Tidus was really upset about it. He didn't show it, but I was like his best friend, you know? I could tell. He'd spend insane hours out playing blitzball with Wakka, or just practicing by himself. You know how people throw themselves into something when they get their heart broken? That's what he did."

Kairi made an understanding noise, waiting for Selphie to continue. She glanced up to see Yuffie leaning silently in the doorway, a tray with three cups of hot chocolate in her hands. Kairi turned her attention back to Selphie as the girl started to speak again.

"I kind of got worried about him. He stayed out all night in this rainstorm so I went to go get him down by the blitzball field and I took him home with me." She smiled a bit. "He looked like a drowned dog with his hair all wet and hanging all over the place and his clothes were practically falling off because they were so soaked and I very nearly laughed at him."

Yuffie walked into the room, handing Kairi her cup of chocolate and taking one of her own, sitting cross-legged on the ground as the two of them continued listening to Selphie's story. Kairi handed Selphie a cup, watching as she blew on it, then took a sip.

"So, I took him home and I let him take a bath and I tried making us some food but, uh… We decided to have pizza instead," she said in amusement. "He was really sweet. He called the pizza people and he helped me clear the smoke out of the house and scrub the burn marks off the pan and then we went into the kitchen and were sitting down and I told him how worried about him I was. I was having one of my talkative moments and, well, he kissed me."

"Awww," Kairi and Yuffie said simultaneously, both grinning.

Selphie blushed. "Yeah, so, he kissed me and he said thanks and, the next thing you know, we were going out. It was really fun and he was great and everything… Well, up until school started up again. Then he kind of started getting distant and picking on Sora a lot and… Oh, you know the rest."

"So, the point to this story was…?" Yuffie asked, shifting on the floor and finishing her cup.

"The point was to prove that Tidus wasn't always an asshole," Selphie answered, standing up and setting her cup down on the tray. "He used to be nice and compassionate and sweet." She sighed. "But none of that matters because we're over."

Kairi frowned, her eyes compassionate. "Oh, he called to break up with you? That bastard."

"Actually," Selphie corrected, dusting off her pajama bottoms. "He called to make up with me. But I turned him down."

"But why?" Yuffie pitched in, confused beyond belief. "From what you just told us, you're still in love with him, right? So why'd you say no to getting back together?"

"Because he's not in love with me." Selphie stared at the wall detachedly. "He deserves to be happy and he can't be happy with me. He only called because he felt guilt and a relationship built on guilt is no relationship at all, right?"

"Right…" Kairi said tentatively. "But, what about you?"

Selphie paused before answering. "Well, it's like you said. My name is Selphie Says Do It not Please Pity Me Polly. I'm going to move on. You know, go back to being Tidus's friend. Things were better that way."

Yuffie got up, collecting the cups. "If that's what you want, Selphie. But I'll tell you one thing." She headed for the door, glancing back over her shoulder to find both Selphie and Kairi staring at her. She shrugged. "Before you guys started dating, Tidus was a mess and a bastard. What makes you think that won't happen again?"

Selphie frowned. "This time he'll be happy."

"Are you sure about that?" Yuffie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll _make_ sure of it," Selphie answered, the familiar determination flashing in her eyes. Kairi rubbed her temples and sighed.

-

"You're scared, aren't you?" Cloud said in amusement. The brunette seated next to him on the bed shot him a glare that could have made the devil flinch, but which only served to make Cloud even more amused than before. "You _are_."

"No, I'm not," Leon answered shortly, his eyes going back to the screen. He tensed up as he watched the movie, frowning.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at this. "You're _scared_."

"No, I'm _not_."

"Afraid the little girl from the video's gonna come out and eat you, Leon?"

"I thought that was _your_ job, Cloud."

"Ha. Funny."

They turned back to the movie. Cloud kept a trained eye on Leon, watching the boy tense up and relax in reaction to whatever was going on in the movie. He snorted.

"If that's me you're laughing at, I'm going to take that TV and beat your ass with it," Leon said, without dragging his eyes away from the screen.

Cloud grinned cheekily. "Just because you have a preoccupation with my ass is no reason to get frisky. Your sister could hear us."

Leon's arm shot up, shoving Cloud off the bed before returning to his side. Cloud sat on the floor, laughing. "Are you sure you don't want me to come up there and _hold_ you until the bad little girl goes away?"

Leon glared down at him from the bed.

"Is that a no?" Cloud asked innocently, laughing as a pillow smacked him in the face.

"I think I liked you better when you were brooding," Leon said flatly, grabbing another pillow in case he needed to throw that one, too. "Now, shut up so I don't have to come down there and punch you."

Cloud sat cross-legged on the floor, looking back at the movie and biting his lip so he wouldn't start laughing. He was quiet for a few moments before an evil idea occurred to him and he sat up, his arm suddenly darting out and grabbing Leon's leg.

He broke out laughing at Leon's screaming, calming down and looking innocent when the brunette gave him a murderous look.

"FUCK, Cloud, I'm gonna kill you!" Leon said in a low voice, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"I thought you weren't scared," Cloud teased as he got back onto the bed. He noticed that Leon was still glaring at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I hate you so much right now," Leon said flatly, watching Cloud stretch out on the bed. The blond smirked.

"And yet, you want me so bad. Isn't it funny how life works out?" He gave Leon a kiss and then pulled away, watching as Leon instantly went back to look at the movie.

The brunette snorted. "I hope you know this means no sex for a week."

"What!" Cloud panicked, giving Leon a fearful look. "You're kidding right? That's a joke right? Ha ha?"

Leon merely smirked. "_Now_ who's scared?"

"You'd be scared too if your boyfriend suddenly swore that he wouldn't sleep with you anymore," Cloud said with a pout. He faked a gasp. "There's someone else, isn't there!"

"Who else?" Leon asked in confusion, giving his boyfriend a dubious look. He wondered if lack of sex would cause Cloud to go crazy. Well… _crazier_.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "That's what _I'd_ like to know."

"There is no one else, you idiot," Leon said with a roll of his eyes. "You're just paranoid and thanks to your idiocy, we missed half the movie."

"You should thank me then. It was scaring you," Cloud pointed out with a smirk as his hand reached over and trailed up Leon's leg, earning a shiver out of the brunette.

Leon tensed, releasing a deep breath. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Cloud asked, his hand pausing just below Leon's ass.

"_That_," Leon got out through gritted teeth, frowning in Cloud's direction. The blonde's hand merely continued to travel upwards, over the contours of Leon's behind and under the other boy's shirt.

"'That' is pretty vague, Leon. I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." The hand began tracing circles on Leon's lower back and the smirk on Cloud's face only increased. "So… No sex for a week, huh?"

Leon glared at him. "No sex for a week," he insisted, frowning. "Starting tomorrow."

Cloud laughed as Leon suddenly pinned him to the bed and began attacking his neck with kisses. "Got it."

-

Sora stood outside Riku's bedroom door, his hand hesitating over the door knob. He didn't know whether he should enter or not and, as usual, he was having his doubts. Riku hadn't exactly hung around and professed his deep and unending love or anything.

What if the reason he'd run off was because he'd realized that he was leading Sora on? What if he was inside his bedroom, regretting it?

Sora bit his lip, smiling a bit. He wanted to trust in this, trust in the hope that Riku's words were heartfelt, trust in all the emotions and confusion and feelings that he'd been feeling for the past few weeks.

He just didn't know what he would do if Riku just walked out of his life. Especially now.

He'd gotten used to the arrogant smirk forever grazing Riku's face… the gentle way Riku kissed him just before deepening him and pressing him up against the nearest hard surface… the unnaturally silky feel of Riku's hair…

Sora took a deep breath and nodded. What else could this possibly be but love? He knew he loved Riku – truly, madly, deeply – and now he knew Riku loved him.

The only thing standing between them and true happiness was a door.

That in mind, Sora grabbed the door knob and turned it, pushing the door open. "Riku? Riku… are you in here? Can we talk?"

He walked inside and blinked, seeing Riku lying on the bed, his back to the door. Sora wrinkled his nose in confusion and slight frustration. Riku couldn't possibly have gone to sleep after that! Sora himself didn't feel very much like sleeping at all.

"Riku! You're not asleep, are you?" he said aloud, going over to the bed and leaning over Riku's immobile form. The white-haired boy's eyes were closed, his breath coming out evenly and his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Sora sighed, now irritated. Alright, the only thing standing between them and true happiness was a door and Riku's completely stupid ability to fall asleep no matter what the circumstances!

"Fine, go ahead and sleep. See if I care. Not like we were doing anything important anyway. Not like I maybe come up here to talk to your stupid, sleeping ass of a self!" Sora said with a pout, throwing a mini-temper tantrum. He grabbed his pillow and beat Riku over the head with it. "God, I hate you!"

He huffed, folding his arms and glaring at the innocent items arranged around the room. Seiya was coming to pick him up some time tomorrow. There wouldn't be much time for declarations of love before school on Monday.

He sighed. Fine. He'd just tell Riku in school on Monday… in front of staring boys, giggling girls, and glaring popular children…

Sora sighed again. "Damn you, Riku."

He left the room and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed, missing when Riku sat up in bed and watched him leave, a frown on the older boy's face.

-

_"God, I hate you!"_

Riku was still awake in his bed, even after he'd quickly gone back to pretending to be asleep and listened as Sora re-entered the room, got dressed in his pajamas, and then settled down on his sleeping bag.

Riku had remained 'sleeping' until he'd heard the younger boy start snoring in a loud, yet extremely endearing, way.

His heart hurt, as much as it pained him to admit. He couldn't get Sora's words out of his head.

_"Not like I maybe come up here to talk to your stupid, sleeping ass of a self!" _

If admitting he was in love made Sora think he was an ass, Riku was afraid to think of what could have happened had he stayed downstairs after his confession. He'd hated himself for going running up the stairs like a scared little girl, but he hadn't been able to help it.

He was afraid. Afraid of being rejected by the one person whose opinions mattered more than anybody else's.

Well. Maybe not _anybody_ else.

But Sora _had_ somehow managed to become one of the top ranking people in Riku's life. And Sora hated him.

_"Damn you, Riku."_

Sora hated him. Riku had put his feelings out on the line – and then run away, yes, but that was not the point – and Sora had just flung it all back in his face. Riku swallowed.

How did this start?

Not when he'd moved, no, or even when he took on this task in the first place. When had he started feeling more for the brunette than a desire to get him into bed as quickly and easily as possible?

How did this start?

And, more importantly, when would it end? If those were Sora's true feelings, then Riku wanted to get out of this whole 'love drama' before he could get hurt. He just couldn't believe Sora had led him on like that.

Although, the only times Sora had ever been the one to initiate anything was when _Riku_ was upset… Had Riku been pushing himself on Sora…? Molesting him even?

He paused. Well, _duh_.

Was that it? Sora hadn't exactly fought off his advances, so Riku had merely assumed the boy's protests weren't honestly meant. But what if they were? What if he was a second-degree rapist? What if…

What if he stopped doubting himself and went to sleep. Riku sighed, blowing his hair out of his face and looking down at the brunette curled up on the floor. Sora couldn't possibly be comfortable down there.

And… this might be the last time Riku got to hold him…

Making up his mind, Riku hopped off the bed and picked the boy up, quite easily since Sora didn't weight very much. He placed Sora down on the bed by the wall, then got in bed next to him, pulling the covers up over them.

His arms wrapped around Sora's waist gently, pulling the boy up against his chest. Sora murmured something in his sleep and exhaled, his breath tickling Riku's neck.

Riku couldn't stop the small smile from spreading on his face.

He was happy like this. Really and truly _happy_ with Sora in his arms. It was scary, but undeniably true.

_"God, I hate you!"_

The smile faded. Riku stared down at the sleeping boy and sighed, brushing his lips against Sora's forehead. "I love you…"

Sora's eyes fluttered, but he remained asleep. A smile spread on the younger boy's face and, for a moment Riku was afraid Sora had heard him. However, Sora merely reached up and grabbed a fistful of Riku's shirt, snuggling closer.

"Ri…ku…" Sora murmured, sighing happily. "Mine…"

Riku smiled again, brushing his fingers through Sora's hair. Maybe Sora didn't hate him after all. Or, at least, not subconsciously.

Which, Riku supposed, was good enough.

"Riku…" Sora murmured again, humming slightly as he rolled over until he was resting on top of the older boy. "Riku…ri…ku…"

The smiled widened.

_Sora, I'm here._

-

_.F.A.Q.___

** Does Tidus like Selphie?**

Of course he does! Tidus needs Selphie like normal humans need air. He just can't let go of his feelings for Sora and, because of that, he's screwing up his relationship with Selphie big time. He won't be stupid forever, don't worry.

As for Selphie, she's got one huge stupid moment coming up very soon. So does Kairi actually, but it's got nothing to do with love between her and Tidus, which isn't happening. More to do with Sora and Riku's relationship and that video… Dun dun dun…

** Are you going to write a lemon for this story?**

Um… no. Wasn't planning on it because I am an innocent blushing virgin (who will probably be fifteen by the time you read this) and I possess no knowledge of how to write a lemon. Well, okay, that's a lie considering how many I've read, but I do not plan on writing a lemon until my 17th birthday exactly. NC-17 and all.

My friend Nicele claims that as soon as I hit 17, that's all I'll be writing. I say 'who knows'.

** What's wrong with the mothers? Did they forget to take their medicine today?**

Believe it or not, they're always like that! If you want some history… Ayumi's parents were always really strict with her so she kind of has this vow that she'd never do that to her child. That and trying to stop Riku is about as successful as trying to keep ice from melting in your hands. And as for Seiya… she's a modern day hippie. Kind of.

Anyway, no, they're always like that and are totally supportive of their kids' relationship. And the sex. Because making Sora blush is everybody's favorite pastime!

** When will Sora finally admit to Riku that he is totally in love with him since it is totally obvious anyway?**

Heh. Next chapter. He kind of can't now because, as you read, he's asleep in Riku's arms and all. But, anyway, yes, next chapter Sora's going to meet up with Riku in the hallway and confess it all. And Riku's going to confess it all back and they're going to hug and kiss and then they're going to go to Ayumi and Seiya and go off and get married or get a partnership or whatever it is they do and…

I'm lying. Except about the 'next chapter' part.

** Why is Tidus such an asswhole and stupid?**

Well, you see, if I have to be honest, the reason Tidus is an asshole is because I needed somebody to be the bad guy. I already had the layout of who the group of popular kids were and so I put all their names in a hat to see who would be the Big Bad Wolf and Tidus's name came out.

Surprisingly, I love Tidus to pieces. Just not, you know, in the story. But KH Tidus was so adorable and arrogant and kicked my Sora's butt. In my game, anyway.

** Why are you so lazy?**

I think it's hereditary on my mom's side. My mom's lazy. We affectionately call her 'Lazy Daisy' behind her back. As for why I don't write when I'm lazy… Unsolved mysteries. Sometimes I just need a kick in the pants, which Kari usually gives me with a nice 'Lime! Write!'.

It works surprisingly well. Every once in awhile…

** Where did you get the titles for the chapters?**

The titles of the chapters come from Miss Ashlee Simpson's song 'Better Off'. It's on her CD Autobiography, which everybody should go buy because it rocks. In case anybody was wondering about the story title too, it's the name of this astrology book I have by Hazel Dixon Cooper.

It's so funny. Like, seriously. Go out and buy it. Unless, you know, you're underage and don't want to be here about your love and sex life and how good or not good you are in bed. Ahem. My mom bought it for me. I just picked it up and didn't let her read it. Ahem again.

-

**_ Next Time on Love On A Rotten Day:_**

_"Last night… You said you loved me… And you ran away before… b-before I could tell you that… I love you, too." Sora whispered quietly, a blush on his face._

_Selphie looked up at him sheepishly. "I was thinking… why don't you and I go to the amusement park or something? You know, as friends like how we used to be?"_

_"Remember, Sora, just because you can't get pregnant doesn't mean you shouldn't be safe!" Seiya informed him, holding up the box of Trojans. Sora blushed deeply._

**Five Days until Slashy-chan's birthday! April 8th! Write that down! Hee!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer: **So, I was walking down the street and I was thinking because, yes, I actually do think (sometimes) and then we went to the ice cream shop and nearly got hit by a car, but that's okay because I got a vanilla sugar cone and I was very happy. It was a pretty cone with beautiful vanilla-y goodness and I ate it all because, well, it's ice cream and all and I don't own Kingdom Hearts and we went racing across the street again and went to CVS and bought a candy bar and then we went back to school and I gave Lauren a present and she loved it and I was so happy that she liked it and I felt all good and joyous inside. There's a disclaimer hidden in this pointless story. You'll find it if you were paying attention.

**Author's Note:** I know what you're thinking. 'Slashy-chan, you are so damn lazy!'. Oh yeah! Well… you're right. XD Whenever I don't feel like writing this, I start a new story instead. You must be quite frustrated with me by now. And thanks for all the birthday wishes. They made me feel all loved inside.

Um, so, after Chapter 14, I really have no idea what happens in here besides a few key things (like, oh, say, Sora and Riku breaking up) so I suppose I should make a new chapter plan, shouldn't I? Eh, well. I'm sleepy. –snores-

I also made a LJ community dedicated to my super spiffy best friend. Mwahaha.

**Author's Note Part II:** So… I screwed up two friendships yesterday and now my second friend is never speaking to me again. Now we're 'acquaintances' but I 'shouldn't hold my breath' about getting anything more than that. So I feel like shit. But writing and making you guys happy makes me happy and at least then I don't feel like a total loser anymore. –sigh- I ramble way too much about my personal life.

Oh, and I finally got a chapter plan for this story. Tra la!

**Author's Note Part II: …**So tired…

**Thanks to:**

KiokuYume, ChocoboLuver724, Rezuna Kitsune Of Ice, KHlover, Ice Dragon3, bOb the bUilder, Ink2, ToysofLove, Dark-Saiyan-Angel, cheeto, Insanehikari, Green Feathers, chiyosuke, The Plushie Bandit, Khdude, cammy-world, Shattered Darkness, DevilsThrill, Reina-183, Xeora, kiru, greyspark, ChibiNekoSakura, Gimp6661, somewhatcrazyhappyperson, A Warrior in Love, lymerai, oto wo dasanai utai-te, PSYCH0tic, playingwithfire, moon maiden of time, Anukis-san, kuramasgirl13, WhiteLightning, Tama-Kistune, RiNoA, Insert Bad Cliche Here, hikkix2, Riku's gurl, XxX Chains XxX, Ivaeddia, and the other people who reviewed while I was writing the ending to this, but, since I am currently exhausted, am way too sleepy to add to the list.

**Cast Replies:**

tenshisuki  
Sora: Oh, I was singing Goofy Goober Rock from my favorite of all movies: The Spongebob Movie! It is the shiznet.  
Riku: If I give you a dollar, will you promise never to say that again?

thekatgrl  
Cloud: Hey, I can't help it that Leon wants my ass.  
Leon: ...Shut up, Cloud, before I strangle you.  
Riku: Pfft. Slashy may be stupid, but she's not that redundant. ...Is she?  
Slashy: Gee. Thanks, Riku.

Fade to Black  
Riku: HEY!  
Slashy & Sora: -laughing their heads off- Emotional little girl!  
Kairi: Somebody loves me! Yay!  
Riku: Don't get your hopes up, Cookie.  
Sora: WHERE!

Nightmare Abyss  
Sora: -pouting-  
Riku: Oh, Sora's going to get his brains screwed out alright. Multiple times.  
Slashy: -blushing-  
Riku: Hell yeah! You all know you love me and all my sexy glory.

Jenni's Heart of Gold  
Riku: Bed? YAY BED!  
Sora: -sweatdrop- I don't want to sleep with Riku! Why won't anyone believe me?  
Riku: -points at last chapter-  
Sora: Dammit.

MissShadow  
Slashy: Dude, you had that birthday song stuck in my head the whole day.  
Riku: There's a statue? Where can I get one?

LiLi-Sama  
Slashy: Cloud and Leon have been fucking ever since they got together. Pfft. They're horny bunnies.  
Selphie: I'm not a bitch! -foams at the mouth- TAKE THAT BACK!

Amon's-Girl  
Slashy: Sure, why not?  
Riku: As a warning, it takes her so effing long to reply to her emails that you start to wonder if she died.  
Sora: Lazyass.  
Slashy: -cries- You're so mean!

**Date Begun: **April 14, 2005

**Date Posted:** April 23, 2005

**Chapter 13:** I Think Of You

_Love is blind as far as the eye can see  
__Deep and meaningless words to me  
__Easy lover, I need a friend  
__Road to nowhere, twists and turns but will this never end  
__Well my dear you'll know that he pleases me (pleases me)  
__But short time solution ain't no resolution  
__That ain't no release for me  
__Too much of something is bad enough  
__But something's coming over me to make me wonder  
__Too much of nothing is just as tough  
__I need to know the way to feel to keep me satisfied  
__Unwrap myself from around your finger  
__Hold me too tight or left to linger  
__Something fine built to last  
__Slipped up there I guess we're running out of time too fast  
__Yes my dear you know he shows me (moves me)  
__There's no complication there's no explanation  
__It's just a groove in me  
_**_-Too Much by the Spice Girls _**

This was it! The moment of truth! The moment Sora had been waiting for! Riku was opening his locker, Sora was at the end of the long hallway, and there was nothing standing between them except—

—Kairi.

He blinked as the redhead seemed to come out of nowhere and give him a nervous smile. "Hey, Sora…" she said warily, as if expecting him to have an emotional breakdown at any moment. Which Sora was very likely to do if she didn't **move**.

"Hi, Kairi," Sora returned distractedly, peeking around her to see that Riku was now shoving books into his bag with a wistful expression on his face. Sora's eyes narrowed as Kairi grabbed his face in her hands and returned his attention to her.

"Anything happen last night that you want to talk about?" she persisted, frowning slightly and not releasing his head.

Sora scowled at her, a first for him. "Not that I know of."

"Are you sure?"

"Not a thing. I went into the bathroom with a razor and slit my wrists, but Riku caught me and took me to the hospital, which is why I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt right now," Sora said in a monotone voice, rolling his eyes as Kairi's gaze flitted to his arms – clearly visible what with the t-shirt he was wearing – before coming back to meet his.

"That was not funny," she reprimanded him. Sora was very displeased to know that she still hadn't let go of his damn face.

"Kairi, could you please let go—"

"I didn't know you two were an item," came Riku's slightly annoyed sounding voice. "Want to keep it out of the hallways so the rest of us can keep our food down?"

Kairi immediately released Sora's face and whirled around to face the older boy, walking up to him and poking him in the stomach. Caught off-guard, Riku dropped his books and squirmed slightly. Sora filed this secret tickle spot away for later.

"I need to talk to you, too, mister. I was talking to Selphie and—"

"Kairi?" Sora cut in with a frown, waiting until the redhead turned to look at him before continuing, "Can I talk to Riku first? You know, alone."

Kairi blinked.

"As in **without** you here to interrupt?"

"Well," she huffed, clearly insulted. "Excuse me for being concerned. Let me leave you alone with your precious Riku-bear so you guys can screw each other's brains out. You're gonna regret it! Mark my words! MARK THEM!"

Riku and Sora stared at her blankly.

Kairi huffed again. "Goodbye," she turned on her heel and marched down the hallway to do some early morning planning on the dance. Sora watched her walk off, then turned to find Riku staring at him intently. A blush spread over Sora's cheeks.

"U-um…"

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Riku asked, bending down to pick up the books he'd dropped. Sora bent down to help, blushing as they reached to pick up the same book. Riku raised an eyebrow at the brunette as he straightened up. "Back into that blushing habit? You'd think after all the things I've done to you, you'd have grown out of that…"

This only caused a fresh blush to crop up. Sora looked away to hide it and sighed. "Riku… about last night…"

Riku fell silent, averting his eyes. Sora bit his bottom lip, frowning. His plan had been perfect! Get Riku alone, check. But now what?

Frustrated, Sora began to think aloud to himself, pacing. "This is hard… should I just come right out and say it or should I show him or maybe I should just skip the whole thing because I think he should know it by now or maybe I should write him a letter since that would be safer, but I already know how he feels about me so I should just come out and say it and—"

Riku grabbed Sora by the shoulders and forced the younger boy to look at him. "Sora, you're making no sense. What are you trying to say?"

"I… I'm trying… I… you…" Sora took a deep breath. "Last night… you said you loved me… and you ran away before… b-before I could tell you that… I love you, too," he whispered quietly, a blush on his face as he averted his eyes.

His heart was pounding so loudly that Sora was sure he was going to have a heart attack, right there in Riku's arms if the white-haired boy didn't say something soon. He hurried to try and fill up the tense silence. "I… it's okay that you don't feel the same way anymore, I mean, I should have answered you right away and I just wasn't thinking because, well, I kind of couldn't since you were kissing me and you know how I get when you do that, but—"

Sora's incoherent babbling was expertly cut off as Riku pushed him up against the nearby lockers and slammed his lips against Sora's. The brunette made a small, whimpering noise at the back of his throat and clung to Riku desperately, unbelievably relieved.

Riku pulled back, resting his forehead against Sora's as he fought to catch his breath. "I love you, too."

"I figured," Sora said with a smile, leaning forward and initiating another kiss. His arms came up to wrap around Riku's neck and pull him closer, expressing with his mouth what he had barely been able to with words.

Riku returned the kiss whole-heartedly, breaking away from Sora's lips to trail along his jaw, nipping and sucking gently. Sora shivered, his knees close to giving out under him. Riku smirked a bit and continued. "We really shouldn't be doing this here."

"You… nngh… sound like me…" the brunette managed to get out between moans. Riku chuckled under his breath, the vibrations causing Sora to groan again.

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult." He kissed his way up, nipping at Sora's earlobe before he paused to whisper, "So, does this mean you'll finally sleep with me?" Riku asked as his tongue traced the outer shell of Sora's ear.

Panting, the younger boy tried to concentrate. "Y-yes…"

"Really?" Riku asked, surprised into stopping. Sora blushed for what must have been the hundredth time that day and nodded.

"I trust you, Riku…" he murmured, averting his eyes. Riku smiled, giving Sora a gentle kiss before he backed away completely and let the younger boy move. Sora smiled back, taking a deep breath.

"If I could interrupt this Hallmark moment," Kairi said from the end of the hallway.

"Since when do you ask?" Riku muttered under his breath, prompting a snicker from Sora. Kairi glared at them both, approaching slowly and looking between them as if she expected a bomb to go off at any given time.

She rolled her eyes and plastered a forced looking smile. "Could I please borrow Sora? We need to, er, make more plans for the dance."

Sora gave her a confused look, but he was met with one that told him not to argue. He turned to Riku apologetically. "I'll see you later, Riku. I'd better go with her." Riku took a step forward and kissed Sora deeply, starting to get into it before he heard a loud, exaggerated cough and pulled back, looking at Kairi in irritation.

Kairi grabbed Sora's arm and began dragging him away, muttering something along the lines of, "Stupid boys and their stupid raging hormones…"

Riku rolled his eyes slightly, but couldn't help the happy smile ghosting over his lips. Sora loved him… Sora **loved** him…

Nothing could bring him down now.

-

Sora snorted with laughter, trying as hard as he could to stop before Kairi got annoyed. The violet-eyed girl was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips as she glared at him and waited for him to take her seriously.

Sora took a deep breath, snickering every so often. "So… let me get this straight… even though Riku and I just started dating less than ten minutes ago, you want me to dump him because you've got the crazy idea that he's only using me to make a porn tape?"

"It's not a crazy idea!" Kairi persisted, practically bouncing up and down. "I heard it from Selphie, who, while a bit touched in the head, is a very reliable source! The whole reason he took an interest in you in the first place was because the popular bastards told him that he had to sleep with you and get it on tape so he could join their crowd!"

Sora snorted with laughter again.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Kairi near shouted, whacking him on the head. "Sora! Have I ever lied to you before?"

Sora quieted down and gave her a blank look. "No," he relented. "But, Kairi, there's no possible way that what you're saying is true. I mean, Riku loves me. He said so."

"He **lied** to you, Sora! People lie all the time!"

"And what's stopping me from thinking that you're not lying right now?" Sora asked, scowling slightly. Kairi scowled right back and the two friends glared at each other for a full minute before Kairi screamed in frustration, throwing her hands up.

"You're letting some boy you barely even know come between our friendship?" she snapped, her voice radiating with irritation.

Sora folded his arms. "The only thing trying to come between anything is you, Kairi! Why can't you just be happy for me?"

"He's going to use you!"

"No he's not!"

"YES HE IS!"

"NO HE'S NOT!"

"Fine, believe what you want," Kairi hissed in a low, angry voice. "But when he breaks your heart and you go running to your Mom, I'm still going to be there with a hanky and an 'I told you so.'"

Sora glared at her as she turned and stormed away, muttering under her breath. He frowned a bit to himself. That was the first time he and Kairi had ever had an argument. And the first time she'd ever been such a bitch.

He frowned even more. What if she was telling the truth? What if Riku **was** using him to get in with the popular kids? But what did Sora have to do with that? He didn't talk to those people! He never had, except for the whole Tidus-drama from last year.

But that was dumb. Sheesh, if Tidus wanted to test if he was really bisexual he should have chosen someone he knew. Like, oh say, Wakka.

Sora snickered. Yeah. Right.

Sighing, he turned and began heading up the hallway to his first class, even though he had a full twenty minutes before class began and half the school hadn't arrived yet. Maybe he'd get lucky and Riku would already be in the classroom so they could, er, **work** until the rest of the class arrived.

-

As soon as Tidus Mihada walked through the school doors, Selphie had her eyes trained on him. She was a girl on a mission. A mission to rekindle the lost friendship between her and her precious Tidy-Whities.

Okay, so he'd told her to stop calling him that under threat of death, but it was still an affectionate nickname. In her mind, anyway.

She took a deep breath to prep herself, watching him walk up to his locker and start digging through it, a frown on his face. For a moment, she doubted herself. He looked so… so…

She quickly snapped herself out of it. No! Friends and nothing more, now until forever. Or until he got over Sora and she could freely jump him again. Whichever came first.

Selphie walked up to him and beamed, hands on her hips. "Hiya, Tidy!"

"Shit, Selphie! Scare a guy why don't you!" Tidus said, putting a hand to his heart and taking a deep breath. He blinked, looking at her in confusion. He would have thought, after the phone call, she wouldn't be talking to him anymore. He couldn't help but feel relieved that he'd thought wrong. "Uh… what's up?"

Selphie looked up at him sheepishly, running her fingers through her hair and rocking back and forth on her heels. "I was thinking… why don't you and I go to the amusement park or something? You know, as friends like how we used to be?"

Tidus stared at her blankly before looking away and nodding. "Yeah. I'd like that," he said honestly, smiling a bit. Selphie had already been smiling, but her smile widened the slightest bit. She was happy seeing him happy. That was all she really wanted.

She guessed it wasn't her fault that she'd fallen hard for a boy who could never love her back. Love was just cruel like that.

Never letting her smile falter, she toyed with the edge of her skirt. "So… how about after school today? Will you be busy then?"

"Um," Tidus said slowly, squinting a bit as he thought about it. Selphie continued to toy with her skirt, wondering why she was so nervous. It was just Tidus…

Oh, right. That's why.

"No, I got nothing to do. I'll take you down to Rye Playland, alright?" he said at last, looking at her. Selphie nodded enthusiastically.

"Sounds great. I'll see you later!" She turned and ran down the hallway, skidding to a halt just before she could turn the corner. She growled at herself, then turned again and ran back over to him, her arms flying around his waist in a tight hug that nearly sent Tidus flying towards the floor.

He righted himself and blinked, looking down at her before hesitantly hugging her back, his fingers ghosting through her hair.

Selphie mentally cursed a thousand times. She was trying to **avoid** this, dammit. She shouldn't be thinking about how comfortable she was right now or how happy she was to have his arms wrapped tightly around her and how much she wanted to strangle Sora for taking her Tidus away…

She clenched her eyes shut, then took a deep breath and let him go, smiling awkwardly. "Sorry. **Now**, I'll see you later."

Tidus smiled in amusement. "No problem. I like having cute girls jump me."

_Or blue-eyed brunette boys, _Selphie thought bitterly, shaking her head. She headed back down the hallway, a bit more confident now. She could do this. She could be Tidus's friend and friend only. Sure, she'd been in love with him since she'd first arrived at school and everything, but that could be easily overlooked.

After all, he'd barely noticed her the first time they'd met. Selphie had come racing into her new school, excited beyond belief and dragging an unsuspecting Yuffie behind her. They'd met on the bus ride over. Yuffie had been sitting innocently and listening to music when Selphie had plopped down next to her in the seat, pulled the headphones from Yuffie's ears, and introduced herself.

They'd been good friends ever since.

Selphie had forced herself to remain calm as she looked around the school yard at her new classmates and year mates. She'd be spending the next four years with these people; she wanted to make sure none of them were gun-toting psychos.

Almost immediately, her eyes became fixated on a blue-eyed blonde boy leaning against the school wall and deep in conversation with another blonde and a brunette. When she'd asked Yuffie who it was, Yuffie had replied that it was her friend – Tidus Mihada. Then added that he was single.

Words could not express how happy Selphie had been.

But that was in the past and this was the present. He wasn't single anymore. Not really. Selphie could never own the one thing she ever really wanted from him.

His heart.

-

Riku blinked as Kairi came storming into the room, her violet eyes dark with barely suppressed anger. He gulped as she turned her searing gaze on him. He'd had experience with angry women.

All bad experience. He now fully understood the quote 'There are two methods of arguing with women – and neither one works'.

"Um… hi Kairi…" he said carefully, wondering if he was the cause for her rage. He surely hoped not. He couldn't remember doing anything (or anyone) in the past month so he was fairly certain that her wrath wasn't his fault.

Although, women were also capable of finding insane reasons for their anger and somehow managing to make it make sense. Riku had yet to acquire this skill.

"Bastard," Kairi hissed under her breath as she took her seat in the chair diagonal from his and glared at him. "How could you?"

Riku blinked. "Well, I didn't think they really wanted you to only take one free sample. I mean, it's Pringles. Once you start, you can't—"

"Not that!" Kairi interrupted with a slight roll of her eyes. "How could you do that to Sora?"

Riku blinked once again. "Well, when two men love each other, it's typical for them to grope and/or make out with—"

Kairi's steely glare told him he was missing the point once again. He scratched his head and looked sheepish. "Maybe it would help if you told me what you were talking about?"

The school bell rang. Kairi took out her books as Sora walked into the room, his eyes narrowing upon seeing Riku and Kairi as the only occupants.

"I know," was all that Kairi said before facing front and proceeding to ignore him. Sora sat down in his seat next to Kairi and in front of Riku, turning around and resting his elbows on Riku's desk. He tilted his head to the side.

"What'd she say to you?" Sora asked, glaring at Kairi out of the corner of his eyes. Kairi glared back and slammed her book onto her desk with enough force to break through the wood. Riku gave the two of them a wary look.

"She was telling me that I have a nice ass and that she wants a piece of it," Riku said in a perfectly serious voice. A notebook smashed into the side of his head and he winced, looking down and not surprised to see Kairi's name written neatly on the front.

He gave her a sweet smile and picked it up, handing it back to her and wincing again when she smacked his hand with it. He turned back at Sora, surprised to see the brunette giving Kairi a fierce glare.

"Did I… miss something…?" Riku asked, looking between them. "You guys had an argument?"

"More like Kairi really, really needs to start dating," Sora coughed. He too became victim to the wrath of Kairi's notebook.

"Don't you start talking about my love life when you barely have one!"

"At least I'm dating somebody. When was your first kiss, Kairi? When you ate a Hershey's on Valentine's Day?"

"Shut up, Harada, or I'll reveal to the entire class every embarrassing thing you've ever done since you were THREE!"

"Try it and everybody will find out about your little embarrassing dream concerning you and—"

Riku blinked as Kairi tackled Sora, sending them flying to the ground. Sora's desk and chair had also tipped over, luckily missing both of them as they wrestled for dominance. He leaned over to watch them, not noticing the rest of the class file in and slowly stop to watch as well.

Kairi had Sora in a headlock while he chewed on her arm in an attempt to get her to let go. Kairi tightened her grip, causing Sora to let go and gasp for air. Not one to be outdone, he grabbed her leg and pulled, forcing her to release him and fall backwards onto the floor.

He moved to bend her foot backwards and get her to say uncle when she kicked him brutally in the rear, pitching Sora forward into his desk. Sora held his poor abused head, whimpering as Kairi jumped on him and started beating her fists against his chest.

Sora shoved her off and bit her arm again, reaching for the nearest thing – Riku's shoe – and was about to stick it in her mouth to keep her quiet when the teacher slammed her ruler against her desk.

"BREAK IT UP NOW!" she demanded, glaring at the wrestling teams. Sora let Kairi's arm fall out of his mouth, albeit drenched in spit, and Kairi released him and allowed him to breathe. She stood, brushing off her jeans and going back over to her seat as if nothing had happened.

Sora straightened his desk and chair and sat down, frowning deeply as Riku slipped his shoe back onto his foot with a small, exasperated whistle. The white-haired boy waited until everyone was settled and the teacher had turned to write on the board before he slowly leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Relax," Riku whispered. "Surely whatever happened between you two isn't worth leaving bite marks on Kairi's arm is it?"

"She started it," Sora insisted, pouting slightly.

"And she was winning it," Kairi inputted, ignoring Sora's glare.

Riku sat back and shook his head, once again giving Kairi and Sora an objective look. It seemed as though it was going to be one of those days.

-

Leon, for the first time ever, found it extremely hard to concentrate on the lesson. Maybe it was because it was boring. Maybe it was because he'd left his notebook at home so he couldn't take notes even if he wanted to.

Or maybe it was because he couldn't take his eyes off Cloud.

He really shouldn't have told the blonde that he was denying him sex for a week. That had probably been his first mistake. It was obvious that now Cloud was trying to seduce him. And he knew those tight leather pants had to be in illegal in five states…

…and borrowed from **his** closet.

Cloud was very lucky there were a whole six seats, two rows, and thirty-two classmates plus one teacher separating them or Leon would pin him against a nearby wall and ravish him. Actually, Leon was pretty close to doing that anyway. And it'd only been one day since he made that stupid promise.

He groaned as Cloud shifted in his seat and brushing his fingers through his spiky blond hair. Leon had somewhat of an obsession with Cloud's hair. It was so damn soft… of course, he'd never tell that to Cloud.

Despite the number of hair care products the blonde used, he still became indignant when anybody inferred that he was anything less than manly.

Leon watched Cloud stretch, his eyes focused on the blonde's muscles, then quickly looked away before that urge came back. Damn his raging hormones. And damn Cloud for being so freaking sexy.

"Mr. Lionhart? Are you paying attention?"

Leon snapped out of his trance to see that the entire class was staring at him, including Cloud who looked entirely too amused for Leon's liking. He'd **planned** this, the little bastard.

"Yes," Leon said slowly, looking back at the teacher. "Sorry, what was the question?"

The man rolled his eyes. "I asked why Cleopatra killed herself with an asp."

"Because Julius Caesar wouldn't have sex with her anymore?" Leon suggested, knowing he was way off and not particularly caring. He ignored the laughter that sounded and the glare he was getting from his teacher.

"That was extremely off, Mr. Lionhart, but thanks for your input."

As the man went back to the lesson, Leon's eyes flitted over to Cloud. The blond was giving him an obviously amused look as if he could tell exactly what Leon had been thinking about.

Leon sighed and rested his head on the desk. Why him?

-

"Kairi… you're going to burn holes in your pudding," Selphie noted, wincing a bit as the redhead transferred her glare from the pudding cup to Selphie. She smiled in a 'please don't hurt me' kind of way. "But if you want burnt pudding, that's all up to you."

"Whatever," Kairi muttered, pushing the pudding away from her. Selphie wasted no time in grabbing the cup and beginning to finish it off. Waste not, want not.

The two were seated in the cafeteria for lunch and there was an obvious contrast in their moods. Selphie was beaming and as happy as usually why Kairi seemed ready to commit homicide. Twice.

"So… am I ever going to find out what made you so mad?" Selphie asked as she stuffed her face with chocolate pudding. "Was it Sora?"

"Yes."

"With Riku?"

"Yes."

"Fucking in the broom closet?"

"Yes. Wait, NO!"

Selphie snickered, eating some more. "Just a thought. I'd say the broom closet was a perfectly acceptable place," she said in an innocent tone, putting down the empty pudding cup. "Are you going to eat that roll?"

"I was more planning on stabbing it to death, but, hey, you can have it," Kairi sighed as she stabbed her knife into the roll and passed it to Selphie, who wasted no time in devouring it. Kairi's eyes rose to look at the table at the other end of the classroom, where Sora and Riku were sitting. They were laughing about something.

Probably her. The rewards of being a concerned friend. Although, she was fairly certain that concerned friends didn't attempt to murder other friends in the middle of a classroom. So maybe she'd gone about this whole thing the wrong way.

She couldn't help it. The fact that Sora was choosing some guy over her really hurt. And even worse was that she wasn't just trying to break them up to get Sora all to herself, as Sora obviously thought. Riku was really going to break Sora's heart.

Kairi rested her head against the table, sighing as Selphie's hand reached out and pulled her tray over so Selphie could finish her food. Kairi wasn't really that hungry to begin with. She and Sora had been best friends since forever. They looked out for each other.

When Sora was afraid of the monster in the closet, Kairi dressed them in Ghostbuster suits and helped him fight them off. When Kairi was afraid to give Satoshi Sagara a Valentine in fourth grade, Sora played Cupid and set them up.

But, she supposed, great friendships like theirs couldn't last forever. Eventually, something that fragile and pure had to shatter into pieces.

She just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Kairi…?" Selphie asked, her mouth stuffed with god-knows-what. "Are you crying…?"

"No," Kairi said automatically, standing up. "I'm going to go find Tidus. I need to ask him for a favor concerning the dance." She smiled a bit. "I'll try not to kiss him this time."

Selphie snorted, the food preventing her from breaking out into laughter. Kairi smiled even more and turned, heading out of the cafeteria.

-

Tidus was busy lacing up his soccer cleats when Kairi suddenly burst into the gym, her eyes sweeping over the rest of the children in there before they came to land on him. He blinked as she began marching towards him, wondering what he'd done to offend her now.

"Do me a favor and don't hit me. I've gotta go play soccer in, like, two minutes," he said as he straightened and raised an eyebrow at her.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Unless you've got a guilty conscience, Mihada, then I'm not here to hurt you. I need your help, actually."

"I don't do sexual favors," Tidus told her, grabbing a soccer ball and starting to toy with it. Kairi muttered incoherently under her breath before grabbing a lock of his hair and tugging, causing Tidus to wince.

"I don't want a sexual favor, you idiot. For the dance, Sora and I were planning on doing a Hollywood theme and I need you to set up a slide-show or a video show of all the people attending so it'll be like the Oscars or something," she corrected, giving his hair one last tug before letting it go.

Tidus rubbed the side of his head, giving Kairi an annoyed look. "Wow, what a way to ask me. Now I **really** feel like helping you out."

"Please," Kairi said with a sigh, giving him a hopeless look. "Sorry I pulled your hair, but, just… please? I really don't have time for you to be an ass. Please don't do this to me. At least not today."

The other kids began filing out of the gym towards the field outside. Tidus gave Kairi a confused look and leaned against the wall, kicking the soccer ball away. "Why? What happened?"

"Why do you care?" Kairi asked automatically, her voice defensive. "I thought bastard was your default setting."

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Whatever. If Selphie likes you, I don't see any reason for me not to. Well, besides the fact that you're a total bitch. Did you forget to take your happy pills this morning or something?"

"I was looking for them, but then I remembered that they're crammed up your ass," Kairi snapped, her eyes narrowing. She rubbed her temples and sighed. "I can't do this right now. Look, can you take care of the dance for me or not?"

Tidus gave her a contemplative look, one that made Kairi decidedly uncomfortable. She toyed with a lock of her hair and averted her eyes, but she could still feel his burning gaze on her. It wasn't long before she cracked. "St-stoppit."

"Stop what?" Tidus asked immediately, not taking his eyes off her. Kairi looked at him, swallowing nervously.

"Stop staring at me like that," she answered, rubbing her arms. "You're making me really nervous."

Tidus frowned slightly, scrutinizing her for a moment longer before he looked away. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kairi said, still rubbing her arms with a sigh. "Nothing happened. At least, nothing that I would tell you about."

"Then why do you look like you're going to break out crying any minute?" Tidus persisted, pointing at her eyes.

Kairi batted his hand away. "Leave me alone, Mihada. I don't have to take this from you."

"And now you're being defensive…"

"Am not!"

"And resorting to childish means of making your point…"

"Stop that!"

"I will when you tell me what's going on."

"Leave me alone!"

"Tell me!"

"NO!"

"NOW!"

Kairi suddenly burst into tears.

Tidus sighed lightly and moved away from her, digging a handkerchief out of his pocket and holding it out to her. He sat down on the floor and Kairi cried, using the cloth to wipe away every stream of tears that fell from her eyes and then blowing her nose.

Thankfully, she didn't attempt to give it back to him. She merely folded it and put it in her pocket, murmuring something about giving it back after it had been washed.

Tidus sighed, wondering how much trouble he would get in for missing gym. Maybe he could get bonus points if he said he was consoling a fallen classmate.

"Why did you do that?" Kairi asked once she was finally able to calm herself.

"Do what? Antagonize you? It's fun." Ignoring the glare he received for this statement, Tidus continued, "Anyway, to be honest, you looked like you were going to cry, but you were trying to hold it in. So I scared it out of you."

"Gee. Thanks," Kairi said, sarcasm evident in her tone.

Tidus raised an eyebrow. "You feel better now don't you?"

Kairi paused. She **did** feel better. Damn it.

"Exactly. Whatever's going on with you, Kairi, you can handle it," Tidus said as he got to his feet, dusting off his gym uniform. "You're a tough girl. I know that first hand. I'm still hurting from all those punches."

Kairi laughed a bit, smiling at him. "Thanks, Tidus. Really, I mean it. And I'm sorry for every bad thing I thought about you or will think about you."

"You'll be apologizing forever then," Tidus said vaguely, his eyes getting dark with thought. Kairi looked at him in confusion, stepping forward to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tidus?"

The blonde seemed to snap out of it, his eyes returning to their normal color as he blinked and focused on her. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yeah…" Kairi frowned a bit, dropping her hand. "Yeah, so, thanks for… you know. And you can always talk to me, too, alright? I'm good for that kind of stuff."

Tidus laughed humorlessly. "I don't think you'd want to know what kind of stuff goes on in my head. Most of the time, Selphie's the only one who can handle me and we all know how much I screw that up."

"Well, maybe if you could get over your fixation on Sora…" Kairi suggested, her voice shaking slightly as she said Sora's name.

Tidus sighed. "Yeah, maybe," He seemed to realized something and looked up at her. "Is Sora the one making you cry?"

"No… of course not!" Kairi said quickly, turning around. "I'll see you later, Tidus. Call me if you change your mind about the dance. Bye!"

Tidus narrowed his eyes suspiciously as she dashed out of the gym. Her reaction made it very obvious that Sora was definitely the one making her cry.

"MIHADA GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS OUT HERE **NOW**!"

Tidus winced, distracted from his previous thoughts. Dammit.

-

"Riku!"

"Shhh, Sora. I thought you didn't want anybody to hear us."

"Nnegh… Ri-ku!"

"Oh my god, Mr. Masaki, please remove your hands from Mr. Harada's pants **immediately**."

Riku looked innocently up at Mr. Himura, an absolutely angelic look on his face as he moved his hands from the top of Sora's pants to the textbook in Sora's lap. "Technically, my hands weren't **in** his pants. They were **above** his pants. If you gave me a second, then I could fix it so my hands were actually **in** them."

Sora, on the other hand, kept quiet. It was obvious that he was absolutely mortified if the red color of his face was anything to go by.

"And," Riku continued. "Since this is independent study, I feel I should be allowed to independently study each and every part of Sora's—"

Sora quickly clapped a hand over Riku's mouth, trying not to shudder as the older boy licked his palm. "Nnegh… I'll make sure… ergh… Riku keeps his… ahh… hands to himself… eep!"

Mr. Himura raised an eyebrow and looked down, sighing and covering his eyes as he noticed that one of Riku's hands was on the textbook while the other hand somehow snuck behind Sora to rest on the younger boy's ass.

"I'm… I'm just going to… go over there…" Mr. Himura said with a groan. "Just try to keep it clean. I'd give you detention if I wasn't afraid to leave you two alone in a room together."

Even though Sora hadn't moved his hand from Riku's mouth, it was quite obvious that the older boy was smirking. His eyes were sparkling in a positively evil way that neither Sora nor Mr. Himura were sure they liked.

Sora waited until Mr. Himura was a safe enough distance away before he dropped his hand and gave Riku a mild glare. The white-haired boy was laughing. "That wasn't funny, Riku!"

"Yes it was," Riku corrected, snickering. "Good thing I hadn't reached your pants yet or we'd really have been in trouble."

Sora glared a bit more before a smile spread on his face and he snickered as well, resting his head on Riku's shoulder. "This is all your fault in the first place."

"No way. You're the one who was being loud."

"Because you had one hand half-way down my pants and the other half-way up my shirt!"

"So?"

Sora gave Riku a flat look, then went back to the section of their book that they were supposed to be taking notes on. He read the heading and snickered. "Are Adolescents The Victims of Raging Hormones: Evidence For Activational Effects of Hormones on Moods and Behavior at Adolescence."

"Oh, I love Health class," Riku said with a laugh, taking out his notebook. He wrote down the heading and then looked back at Sora. "So, what are you doing after school?"

"Mother-son time," Sora explained, his eyes scanning the page. "Mom and I are going to watch a movie and hang out."

"Cool," Riku said as he peeked over Sora's shoulder and wrote down a couple more notes. "So I'll catch up with you tomorrow, then?" he winked. "We can have some **real** fun then."

Sora's face flamed. "Okay."

Riku smirked, snickering again and ignoring Sora's glare. He found the whole thing extremely amusing. And slightly disappointing since he'd been quite close to having his wild way with Sora in the classroom.

Which, now that he thought of it, wouldn't be a very ideal place for Sora's first time, but at least it would be memorable. **Very** memorable.

Sora glanced over at Riku, blinking in confusion at the perverse smirk on the older boy's face. "…Riku…?"

Riku blinked, snapping out of it and looking over at Sora with a smile. "Yes…?"

"Uh… nevermind." Sora was suddenly quite sure that he didn't want to know what kind of images were running through Riku's head. More than likely, all of them would make Sora turn a variety of shades of red.

-

Selphie stared at herself critically in the mirror. She really thought she was trying too hard to look casual for this date.

No, she corrected. It wasn't a date. It was a friendly outing between two… friends. Selphie was wearing a loose shirt that tied at her shoulders with a blue bandana on her head. She was wearing matching capris and blue sandals. On her back was a see-through bag and her hair was done up in two low braids.

She bit her lip and sighed, twirling around. She supposed her outfit was acceptable. She hadn't worried this much about what she was wearing since she and Tidus had gone on their first date. And that was something she preferred not to think about.

At least, not tonight.

She examined herself one more time as she heard the doorbell ring and turned, practically racing down the stairs and skidding to a halt in the living room, watching her mother open the door. Tidus was dressed casually as well in a white t-shirt and beige cargo pants with white sneakers and a blue cap on his head.

Selphie smiled at him, about to say something when her mother beat her to it. "Tidus! I haven't seen you around here very much lately. Did you and Sippy get into a fight?"

"Um…" Tidus stammered, averting his eyes. Selphie saved him from further embarrassment by stepping out onto the porch, pushing him backwards a bit as a signal for him to turn around and starting running away.

"Mom, leave him alone. And don't call me Sippy when we have company!" Selphie wailed, blushing furiously. Her mother laughed and closed the door, leaving Tidus and Selphie alone on the front porch.

Tidus flicked the tip of his cap and smiled at her. "Ready for a night of cotton candy filled adventure?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Selphie smiled and took his hand, holding it loosely. "Ready, moi capitan!"

Tidus' smile widened as he began walking down the block. The amusement park wasn't too far from Selphie's house and it was a nice night. The moon was full and everything. He was much happier walking than he would have been in a car.

And from the way Selphie was beaming and humming cheerfully under her breath, he really didn't think she minded.

He took a deep breath and started to sink into the usual relaxed mood he was typically in whenever he was hanging out with Selphie and just Selphie. Maybe she was right and being friends would be better. For now, anyway.

"I want to go on the roller coaster! The biggest one in the park!" Selphie announced suddenly, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the park entrance. Tidus laughed.

"Calm down, **Sippy**," he said, ignoring her glare. "We've got the whole night ahead of us. I'll try to keep my hands off your ass."

Selphie grinned and patted her butt, sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder. Tidus took the time to notice that she had the word 'tease' imprinted on her rear before she sprinted off towards the cotton candy vender.

He checked how much money he had in his wallet and chuckled, following after her. This break from all the drama that had been happening lately was exactly what he needed. And though he'd never admit it to himself or anyone else… he missed Selphie.

He missed that beaming smile she'd give him whenever he did something as simple as returning her pencil or the cute way she pouted whenever he pointed out that she was doing/about to do something dumb or the way she liked to poke fun at him and how adorable she looked when she laughed…

"Tidy, cotton candy doesn't pay for itself, ya know! Get your lazy bum over here so I can eat!" Selphie called, bringing him out of his reverie. Tidus grinned.

"I'm coming and **you're** going to get fat," he noted. Selphie stuck her tongue out at him again, but laughed anyway as she made sure the vender gave her the biggest piece of cotton candy that he possibly could.

Tidus stood and watched her for a moment before he reached out and brushed his fingers through her hair. Selphie paused in her instructions and looked over at him in confusion, blushing when she saw the look on her face. She took his hand and pulled it away from her hair, her eyes determined.

"Friends," she said softly, looking fixedly at the cotton candy.

Tidus swallowed and nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Friends."

-

Cloud sat on his living room floor, eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's and looking quite proud of himself. He'd seen every glance and longing stare that Leon had sent his way and, boy, did he get one hell of a thrill out of it.

No sex for a week? Yeah, right. He'd take care of that soon enough. Plan A was the tight leather pants.

Plan B was a strip tease. Thankfully, he hadn't had to go there yet.

Leon was currently in Cloud's kitchen, whipping them up some grilled cheese sandwiches while they tried to decide what they were going to spend the rest of the night doing. Cloud wouldn't really mind staying in. It'd be harder to seduce Leon if they left the house.

Well… he supposed he could still try, but last time he'd done that, they'd gotten banned for the mall for indecent exposure and hadn't been allowed to go back for a month.

"Leon, is the food ready yet?" Cloud called into the kitchen, sticking another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Silence was his only answer, causing him to blink. "Leon?"

Cloud pushed himself onto his feet and sauntered into the kitchen, swiveling his hips in case Leon was in there and just ignoring him. He froze in the doorway. Leon was in the kitchen, all right. Leon was also bent over to pick up the bag of bread he'd dropped with his ass directly in Cloud's line of sight.

Leon finished gathering the bread and straightened – giving Cloud ample time to appreciate the fact that he was naked – then headed over to the garbage can and threw the now-dirty bread out. He seemed to notice that Cloud was in there with him and frowned slightly.

"Did you want something?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow at Cloud. The blond saw the positively evil look in Leon's eyes and narrowed his own.

"So it's going to be like that, is it? Fine. This is war," Cloud announced, scowling. Leon calmly gave him the finger. Cloud walked over to the table and grabbed the plate with the sandwiches, running upstairs and holing up in his room until he could come up with a plan.

-

Sora stuck his stick of pocky into the bowl of melted chocolate, finishing the stick off in one bite and successfully getting chocolate all over his face. Seiya laughed at him as she dipped her banana into the bowl, leaning back on the couch.

"Mmm, you were right. Everything tastes better with chocolate," she laughed as she took a bite. Sora beamed at his mother as he flipped through the channels for a good movie to watch. He really loved these nights they had together. Not many people had this kind of close relationship with their mother.

"That's Sora Harada Philosophy # 10!" Sora announced proudly. "It's part of a series," he pulled out another stick of pocky and stuck it into the bowl as well.

Seiya laughed. "What were the first nine?"

"Number 1: everything works better when you kick it. Number 2: illegal is always faster. Number 3: you know you're dreaming when hairy butts start coming out of the ceiling. Number 4: if you can't take over the earth, take over the universe. Number 5—"

"Alright, alright, crazy boy," Seiya said, cutting him off. "I think I get it," she laughed and dipped her banana again, slapping Sora's arm so that he stopped on the Lifetime channel. She smirked. "So, how are things with you and Riku?"

Sora blushed slightly and smiled. "I… we're dating…"

"About time," Seiya cheered with a slight roll of her eyes. "I was afraid you'd be a virgin forever."

"You're one to talk, mom. You went around asking boys to be the father of your babies!" Sora pointed out as he dumped all of his pocky sticks into the bowl and then started fishing them out, now getting chocolate everywhere.

Seiya eyed her son with a small sigh. "Would it kill you not to eat like it's your last meal? Do you go outside and eat like that? Your friends must think we don't feed you or something."

Sora ignored her and kept eating. Seiya looked back at the TV and frowned slightly seeing that there was no movie on. She got up, deciding to go fish a Disney movie out of Sora's room. Maybe Bambi. That one was a family favorite.

That, and the Fox and the Hound.

She walked up the stairs and into Sora's room, frowning slightly at the mess. Cautiously stepping over the piles of god-knows-what all over the floor and hoping none of them would come to life and eat her, she looked around.

Knowing Sora, where would he keep his movies?

"Under the mattress," Seiya said, thinking of the last place any **sane** person would put video tapes. The opposite of sane was usually what Sora was thinking in the given situation. Not that she'd ever say that to his face.

She pushed the dirty sheets and clothes and underwear off the bed and began sliding off the mattress so that she could search beneath it. Her search awarded her with two half-eaten Mickey Mouse lollipops, Sora's left shoe from the fifth grade, a busted pen, three dollars and eight-five cents, Mulan 2, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and a stack of ripped envelopes.

She sighed, pocketing the money and eyeing the letters. Who'd been writing to Sora? She intercepted all of his mail and read it.

Not that he knew that.

So who was writing to him? She'd never seen these envelopes before. Was he sneaking his letters out of the mailbox before she could get to them or something? She'd have to do something about that.

Her eyes scanned the first sentence.

_Dear Mrs. Harada,_

_We regret to inform you that your husband has fallen into a critical condition…_

Seiya's eyes widened. Trying to ignore the pit in her stomach, she pushed that letter aside and pulled open another one, dated a few months earlier.

_Dear Mrs. Harada, _

_Your husband has been moved into a special section of the hospital for extensive care…_

And another.

_Dear Mrs. Harada,_

_I'm afraid to say that your husband is not responding to the treatment as well as he should be and we may have to operate…_

And more and more and more.

_Dear Mrs. Harada,_

_Dear Mrs. Harada,_

"Mom?" Sora called from the doorway. "What're you—" He stopped when Seiya turned around and he caught sight of what she had in her hands. His smile faded immediately. "I… I can explain…"

"When were you planning to tell me about these, Sora?" Seiya asked, trying not to get hysterical. Her husband was in intensive care on life support and nobody had thought to tell her? Whose idea was it to send those letters to Sora? They didn't concern him! She was the one paying for all of that!

"I…" Sora, never one to lie when he was in trouble, looked at the ground, his voice quiet and guilty. "I wasn't…"

Seiya twitched, about to snap. "Then how are you paying for any of this? Why were you hiding something like this from me!"

"I-I… I thought you had too much to worry about!" Sora said in defense of himself. "I didn't want to give you **more**! So I just got a job at Starbucks in my spare time! It's no big deal!"

"You think **Starbucks** is going to pay off the medical bill? Starbucks is for caffeine addicts and drama junkies!" Seiya noted, throwing the letters on the ground. For a moment, her eyes flashed dangerously and she looked ready to maim the boy in front of her.

Then, all the life drained out of her and she pressed a hand to her forehead, shading her eyes. "Get out."

Sora blinked. "What? But Mom—"

"Get. Out." Seiya repeated in a perfectly serious voice. There was no mercy in her tone. "Get out of the house, Sora. Now. Unless you want to die early."

Sora swallowed, his eyes starting to tear up, but he bravely held off the waterworks. "Mom, I'm—"

"OUT!"

He turned and ran down the stairs, only stopping to pull on his shoes before racing out the door and into the night air. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going since his vision was clouded by tears, but he had a good idea of where his legs were taking him.

He could only hope that Riku was home.

-

Selphie smiled as the vender handed her the giant purple teddy bear that Tidus had just won for her. So far, she could honestly say that she was having fun. Okay, so, Tidus had gotten sick on the virtual roller coaster and they'd had to stop it, like, one minute into the ride, but what did that matter?

The point was, she was having fun. Maybe this 'friendly' date thing wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe she could just stay friends with him. How hard could that be?

She held the bear tightly in her arms and gave Tidus a thoughtful smile. "I think I'm going to call it…" she smirked. "Tidy Whities."

Tidus mock glared at her. "No. No, you're not."

"Oh yes. Yes, I am. You can't stop me," she held the teddy bear up and shook it from side to side. "Tidus, meet Tidy Whities."

Tidus gave her a flat look, then grabbed the bear and took off running. Selphie ran after him, waving her bag over her head and screaming much like Xena the Warrior Princess. "MIHADA! GIVE ME MY TIDY WHITIES BACK!"

A great number of the people in the park turned to give the girl an odd look as she raced by, but Selphie didn't notice them. Tidus was heading towards the boardwalk. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and decided to cut across the beach itself and hide under the pier until he came by.

She ran across the sand, losing one of her shoes along the way, but she didn't notice that either.

Tidus was just running down the boardwalk when she reached it. She jumped and hoisted herself up, following after him. He came to a skidding halt once he reached the edge, but Selphie went the extra mile.

With another Xena yell, she tackled him and sent them both flying into the water.

Tidus and her bear went under just as Selphie hit the water with a laugh. She swam back to the surface and grinned at Tidus, laughing when he splashed her. "Take this!" she shouted, splashing him back.

Tidus laughed and disappeared under the water, swimming over to Selphie's legs and dragging her under without warning. Selphie batted at him with her hands to get him to let go, but Tidus merely stuck his tongue at her underwater and came up for some air.

A few seconds later, Selphie did the same, grabbing her bandana as it floated by her. Tidus held up her now-ruined teddy bear, sheepishly.

"Whoops?" he said, shaking his hair out of his face. "I'll get you another one."

Selphie smiled. "Thanks, Tidus. I think today was fun, don't you?"

"Well, other than the fact that we're in the water even though the beach is closed and I'm soaking wet, then, yes, this has been great," Tidus deadpanned, laughing when Selphie splashed him indignantly.

"You know what I mean!" she shouted, pouting.

Tidus nodded. "I do."

Selphie smiled softly, her cheeks turning a bright pink color and she looked down at the water to hide it. Tidus copied the smile, about to say something when an authoritative voice broke the comfortable silence for him.

"Hey, you kids. What are you doing in the water?"

Tidus and Selphie exchanged panicked looks and then simultaneously started swimming as fast as they could in the opposite direction of the pier and towards the shoreline on the other side, just before the lake flowed into a river, which led to the ocean.

"THERE ARE KIDS IN THE WATER!"

"STOP THEM!"

"WHERE THE FLYING FUCK ARE THEY GOING!"

"Where does that shoreline go to?" Selphie asked, in-between her frantic paddling and trying to ignore the screaming of the guards.

"I think it's behind that seafood store downtown," Tidus answered, not slowing down. It was likely that if they were caught they would either be banned from the park or put in jail for the night and neither was a very appealing option.

They finally reached the opposite shoreline and crawled onto the sand, collapsing immediately and trying to catch their breath. Tidus rolled onto his back and threw his arm over his forehead, laughing breathlessly.

"I should have known. All our dates were this eventful," he noted with another laugh.

Selphie grinned, breathing heavily as she collapsed half on top of him. "More like we kept on getting kicked out of places. Remember the time when we went to go see that ballet—"

"—and you fell off the edge of the balcony seats and I had to grab your arm and pull you back up?" Tidus finished for her, smirking slightly.

"And I bought you nineteen strawberry shortcake ice cream bars to make up for it?"

"You mean the ones I had to watch **you** eat because my mom had barred me from eating sugar for a week?"

"Yes, those," Selphie said with a smirk. "They were good by the way."

The two laughed again. Tidus waited for Selphie to get off him before sitting up and running his fingers through his sopping wet hair. "We can't stay here. They're probably driving dune buggies to get over to us right now."

"…Tidus…?" Selphie began in her sweetest voice.

"No, Selphie, we can't hide in the bushes, then steal the dune buggy."

"Damn."

-

Riku was extremely preoccupied. He only had two more cards left in his deck and if he could successfully place them on top of the elaborate card castle he was building, he would – in his mind – have achieved all greatness.

The doorbell broke his concentration, thankfully before he'd even attempted to place the final two cards so his precious life's work stayed standing.

"Coming, you annoying and pitiful excuse for a human being," he called, setting down the cards and hopping up. He sauntered over to the door and opened it with a slight roll of his eyes. "What do you—mmph!"

His sentence was cut off as he was suddenly jumped and pair of lips came crashing against his own. The person's arms wrapped tightly around his neck, not giving him time to react to anything – well, besides stumbling backwards from the force of leap.

Riku closed his eyes as he realized it was Sora who had just jumped him and pressed the brunette up against the door, effectively closing it at the same time. Just when he was really starting to enjoy this kiss, he noticed Sora's hands drifting downward.

Toward his pants.

Which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't **Sora** doing it. Inexperienced, blush-boy, Sora. There was something wrong here.

Riku felt brushed his fingers against Sora's cheeks and then he was sure. His fingertips were wet. Sora was **crying**.

The white-haired boy stepped back, no longer pinning Sora against the door. His face took on a look of concern. "Sora? Are you okay?"

The brunette refused to answer. Instead, he launched himself at Riku again for another mind-blowing kiss. However, now that Riku was aware that Sora was crying, he found it harder to focus on anything else.

Even the fact that Sora's tongue was in his mouth.

Or the fact that Sora's hands were in his pants.

No, for once, instead of concentrating on sex, all Riku could think about was the fact that Sora was crying.

He pushed Sora away, placing his hands on Sora's shoulders to keep him from attacking. "Seriously, Sora, what happened to you?"

"Let go!" Sora struggled, his voice bordering on hysterical. Riku noticed that Sora was crying harder now. "Let go of me, Riku!"

"Sora—"

"What? I'm not **good** enough for you, anymore? You wanna go sleep with **Kairi**, then! BASTARD!" Sora shouted, shaking slightly. Now, instead of trying to rape Riku, he was now attempting to beat the shit out of him. "DAMMIT, RIKU, I DEMAND THAT YOU FUCK ME RIGHT NOW!"

Riku blinked.

"DAMN YOU!" Sora screamed in frustration. Before Riku could even process that Sora was losing his mind, the brunette's arm was flying through the air and Riku went reeling backwards from the force of the slap Sora had been kind enough to give him.

"Ow! Fuck!" Riku winced as he touched his cheek lightly. It was **burning**. He was probably going to have a giant, hand-shaped bruise there in the morning.

"Too late! Now I don't even want to anymore!" Sora shouted before all the anger drained out of him and he sank to the floor, curling up in a little ball and crying steadily. Riku eyed him carefully for a moment or two until he was sure Sora wouldn't kick him in the balls as soon as he kneeled down.

Riku gently brushed his fingers through Sora's hair, pulling his hand back as Sora listlessly brushed it away.

"Leave me alone," Sora murmured in a shaky voice. Riku ignored that statement. If he'd listened to those three words from Sora, they probably wouldn't have gotten this far already.

He sat down on the floor and pulled Sora into his lap, despite the mild struggling the boy put up. Sora, obviously too tired to do anything else, snuggled up into Riku's arms and let Riku hold him as he cried.

Riku sighed lightly, brushing his fingers through Sora's hair as he stared at the wall and tried to figure out what had gotten Sora so distraught. He felt a rush of pride at the fact that it was **him** Sora had decided to come to in his time of need.

Of course, Sora had come to try and **rape** him in an attempt to forget about **his** problems through the mind-wiping effects of a session of hot, passionate, animal sex.

But Riku was trying to look past that to see the bigger picture.

He blinked as he realized that Sora had stopped shaking and was now… sniffing him. Then he blinked again. "Sora… what are you doing…?"

"You smell good," Sora muttered, his cheeks pink. "It's… nice…"

"Okay…" Riku said with an amused smile. "So, are you going to tell me why you just came rushing through my door, molested me, slapped me, then cried all over me?"

Sora sniffled. "Sorry…"

"Oh, no, I liked the molesting," Riku reassured him.

"I meant the slap," Sora corrected, rolling his eyes slightly. "Although, I guess I'm sorry for the molestation, too. That's **your** job."

"Damn right. But you're avoiding the subject now."

Sora shifted uncomfortably, getting out of Riku's lap and wiping his tears away with his hands. Riku pushed Sora's hands away and did the job himself, gently pressing a kiss to Sora's cheeks once he finished. He pulled away, delighted to find that the boy was blushing again.

"So," Riku said with a grin. "Why were you crying?"

The blush faded and Sora frowned, staring at the ground. "Remember when you found that letter? About my Dad?"

"Yeah…"

"I never showed it to mom. Along with a lot of other letters. And she found them and she told me to get out, so I came here," Sora explained in a rush. He looked over at Riku, his eyes overly shiny again. "Can I stay here, Riku? Just for the night?"

"Of course," Riku said, wrapping his arms around Sora once again and ignoring it when the brunette sniffed him **again** before relaxing.

"Thanks, Riku," Sora whispered softly. "I love you."

Riku smiled, kissing Sora's forehead. "I love you, too. You rapist."

Sora glared at him. Riku only looked innocent and laughed.

-

Leon knocked on the door to the bedroom, tapping his foot as he waited for Cloud to open the door. The boy had been in there – with Leon's grilled cheese sandwiches – for the last hour and a half and Leon was tired of waiting for him to come out.

"Cloud," Leon said in a mildly irritated voice. "Call a truce or something. We have a job to do."

There was a long pause before Cloud's voice answered, "What kind of job?" Cloud still hadn't opened the door.

Leon rolled his eyes a bit and leaned against the opposite wall. "Remember? Tidus told us during lunch that he wanted us to go check on Riku and the tape situation," Leon reminded him, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

Cloud opened the door and blinked. "And Tidus couldn't do this himself because…?"

"Because he's out on a 'date' with Selphie. They're probably making out right now," Leon clarified, yawning. "Anyway, once we do that, then we'll come back here and you can hole up in your room all you want and I could care less."

"Wow. That's true love," Cloud said sarcastically, brushing past Leon to head down the stairs. He slipped on his shoes and waited for Leon to do the same before heading outside. "So where'd Tidus and Selphie go?"

"Amusement park," Leon answered as they walked down the block. "Selphie loves those things. I don't know why Tidus is so concerned about Sora when he's obviously crazy in love with Selphie. Best of both worlds, I guess."

"How does he count **Selphie **as the best of the female world? She's kind of… psychotic…" Cloud commented, making a face. "Not that I don't like her or anything."

"She's better for Tidus than Sora is. For one, she cares about him. For two, Sora has no interest in Tidus whatsoever," Leon said flatly. "But you know what I think? I think we spend way too much time contemplating other people's relationships."

Cloud had to agree with that. Just not out loud. "What else is there to do?"

"Have sex, sleep, and eat," Leon replied with a smirk. "Well, in our case, the last two."

"Tch. You've broken that promise once and I can make you do it again," Cloud said with an air of defiance. "I'm just that irresistible."

"Do you always lie to yourself like that?" Leon asked in as innocent a voice as he could manage. "If I said no sex, then I mean it."

"Uh huh," Cloud hummed, obviously not listening. Leon glared at him, but that too went unnoticed. Finally, Leon just gave up. He was beginning to think that Cloud was only in this for the sex.

And while that was great and everything, Leon liked the emotional connection they had way more than he liked finding out just how many different positions they could get into while doing it on the kitchen table.

-

"HAHAHAHAHA! I OWN YOU!" Sora shouted as he bounced up and down on the couch. He and Riku were in the midst of a game of Mortal Kombat 3 and with Sora's character – Subzero – freezing Riku's measly Shang Tsung, Sora was sure he was going to win.

That is, until Riku made Shang Tsung turn into Subzero and defeated Sora with his own attack. Riku: 15 wins. Sora: 0. Sora glared at the smirking boy next to him. "You. Suck."

"You don't know that. We haven't slept together yet," Riku said with a wink, laughing as Sora's face turned a bright red. The brunette was about to retort when the doorbell rang and he settled for merely trying to melt Riku's brain with his nonexistent eyebeams.

Riku laughed again and got up, tossing down his controller and rolling his eyes as Sora started a new game so he could beat Riku without Riku being there to stop him. The white-haired boy opened the door, blinking as he saw Cloud and Leon standing on his doorstep.

Uh oh.

"Who is it?" Sora called in a distracted voice, obviously busy kicking the shit out of Shang Tsung.

"Um… girl scouts," Riku answered quickly, ignoring the annoyed looks on Leon and Cloud's faces at being called girl scouts.

"I want cookies! I want the iced berry piñatas, the caramel deLites, and the peanut butter patties!" Sora said. "HAHAHAHA! NOT SO TOUGH NOW, ARE YA SHANG SISSY? YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME! EAT THIS!"

Riku stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him, saving Sora, and himself, any further embarrassment. He ran his fingers through his hair. "And you guys are here… why?"

"We came to have a talk concerning a certain tape you owe us," Cloud explained simply, not surprised when Riku swallowed and averted his eyes. "You can't back out on us now, Masaki. Tidus really wants that tape."

"Why doesn't he just have his fun with Selphie and leave Sora alone?" Riku asked, leaning against the door and frowning.

Leon shrugged. "Because he's retarded. Now, about that tape. We'd kind of like it before the dance. So when are we getting it?"

Riku looked from one teen to the other, then looked at the ground, not saying anything. Sora's elated shouting could still be heard, even though the door was closed. He'd just finished another match that ended with Shang Tsung in many tiny little pieces.

Taking a deep breath, Riku looked up again. "I can't. I can't do that to Sora. He's… I just can't do that to him. So you guys can forget about your tape."

"Tidus said you might say something like that," Cloud said, examining his nails. "He said if that's the case, then we're supposed to head to Sora's house and tell him a very interesting, and very true, story about his favorite white-haired lover."

Riku blinked, feeling his throat close up. "You… Sora would never believe you guys!"

"Tidus covered that, too," Leon added in, smirking slightly. "Kairi knows. She's already tried to tell Sora. If he hears it from her, then from us, I think you'll have a hard time convincing him that the video camera in your closet wasn't a Christmas present."

"Sounds like Tidus has all his bases covered…" Riku said, swallowing. His head was swimming and he felt like crying, but he held it back. It wasn't like him to cry. Especially not in front of other people.

Especially not in front of **these** people.

"So, we'd like that tape. Preferably by next week Friday. Or Sora gets the truth and nothing but the truth," Cloud finished, patting Riku on the shoulder. "Don't look so depressed. Once you hand us the tape, you get some new friends."

"So what if you lose a scrawny little boy in the process? Sora's not that important," Leon told him, nodding his head at Cloud. The blonde smirked at Riku, then turned and began heading towards the sidewalk with Leon right next to him.

Riku watched them leave, his eyes unfocused. Then he snapped back to reality and ran his fingers through his hair again, opening the door and heading back inside.

Sora stopped pounding the crap out of Shang Tsung and bent his head back, blinking when he saw Riku's empty hands. "Where are the cookies?"

"There are no cookies," Riku said in a depressed voice, heading over to the couch.

Sora eyed him warily. "Then… where are the girl scouts?"

"They **died**, Sora," the white-haired boy snapped. Sora blinked and fell quiet, sliding to the other end of the couch to avoid Riku's wrath. Riku dropped his head into his hands and sighed deeply.

After eyeing him for a few more minutes, Sora crawled to his side. He wrapped his arms around Riku's waist from behind. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Riku responded, only feeling a small amount of comfort from Sora's warmth. He tried to enjoy it as much as he could. Either way he went, he may never get to feel that warmth again.

-

Tidus chuckled as Selphie wrung out her hair, covering the porch in water. They'd practically run down to the bus stop to catch the last bus back uptown and, at first, the bus driver wouldn't let them on since they were so wet.

Tidus had to pay the guy off with the last of the money he'd taken with him on the date. Selphie had expressed her deep gratitude for the gesture.

The blonde sat down on the porch swing, patting the seat next to him. Selphie sat down gracefully, flipping her braids back over her shoulder and laughing. "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"If they ever find us, we're dead," Tidus pointed out, laughing as well. "Why can't we ever have a normal date?"

Selphie's smile became a bit strained. "But this wasn't a date so it doesn't count."

"Oh yeah," Tidus amended quietly, looking down at his feet. He began moving the swing back and forth, taking a deep breath and leaning his head back. Selphie just remained quiet. She pulled her legs up off the ground and sat cross-legged to give Tidus more control over the swing.

Tidus noticed her starting to shiver and slipped off his coat, laying it around her shoulders for warmth. Selphie gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks."

"No problem," Tidus said, staring at her for a few minutes before he looked away. "You know… tonight was really fun. I didn't realize how much I missed hanging out with you. As friends, I mean."

Selphie sighed. "Yeah…"

"And I also didn't realize," Tidus continued. "How much I missed **you**. Just you. As a girlfriend."

Selphie gave him a surprised look. Then her hand reached out to touch his forehead. "Are you sick? Maybe swimming around in that water gave you a fever…"

Tidus chuckled a bit and took her hand away from his forehead, holding it gently. "No, I'm serious, Selphie."

Selphie, unsure what to make of this, just blinked, her cheeks pink. On the one hand, she missed him too. It was incredibly hard to pretend she only wanted to be his friend. On the other hand, he still had feelings for Sora. She was only setting herself up to be hurt.

Taking advantage of the fact that he'd managed to make Selphie speechless – for once in her life – Tidus brushed her wet bangs out of her face and leaned forward, brushing his lips across hers in a gentle kiss.

Selphie melted. "I hate you so much right now," she whimpered as she kissed him back.

Tidus smirked. "I love you, too, Selphie," he leaned in to give her another, deeper kiss when someone cleared their throat, effectively ruining the moment.

Tidus and Selphie sprang apart and stared, wide-eyed at the sheepish looking Leon and Cloud. Tidus frowned, not noticing when Selphie did the same. "What?"

"Could we talk to you?" Leon asked with a tired sigh. "Sorry if we interrupted something."

"You didn't," Tidus said, getting up immediately and heading over to them. Selphie blinked, swallowing. So telling her that he loved her didn't qualify as something anymore? She strained her ears to hear what they were talking about.

"—by Friday or else we'd tell Sora. He was very predictable," Cloud was saying in a low voice. Tidus nodded at him.

"So we can still get Sora in time for the dance. It all works out."

Leon frowned. "Next time you want to toy around with Selphie, don't get us to do your dirty work while you're out, alright? We've got **lives**."

"What?" Selphie asked, getting up. All three boys turned to look at her. Leon looked confused, Cloud looked annoyed, and Tidus looked guilty. She supposed it was because her voice was shaking slightly. "You had Cloud and Leon go threaten Sora while you and I were out on our date? I mean, our not date?"

Tidus paused. "I…"

"You **bastard**! Just when I actually started to think you were… you just turned around and… I **hate** you, Tidus Mihada!" Selphie shouted, turning and running into her house before they could notice that she was crying.

Leon and Cloud stared at Tidus, wearing matching disapproving looks. The blonde boy didn't notice. He stared at the light in Selphie's bedroom window until the window slammed shut and the light went out.

-

F.A.Q.

**When will We be expecting the next installment of this story?  
**Er… Now? I never know when I'm gonna finish a chapter. It just kind of… happens.

**Do you write a chapter for this story then one for Born to be Wild or do you write them both at the same time?  
**I alternate, writing one chapter for each story. I never write them at the same time. Way too much work. Besides, my poor little head hurts when I try and do that. So, yeah, one at a time.

**When will we see the next chapter for Born to be wild?  
**Um… when I finish it?

**Oh, and what happened to Sora's dad anyway?  
**Oh, he's practically comatose. He gets talked about again in the next chapter, but you guys don't really get to meet him until Chapter 17.

**Does Riku still care about that damn video tape?  
**Well, he does now.

**You still aren't going to use the tape thing, are you?  
**…Maybe…

**Where can you get that book you named this after?  
**Barnes and Nobles, the shiznet place to get books! And drink coffee while getting books!

**So, I take it that we haven't managed to convince you that the number 14 does in fact come next?  
**Well, I learned in math class that 14 does come after 13…

**You DO realize that doctors don't want people drinking red bull for the fact that two cans could potentially kill you, right?  
**OMG! IF SORA WAS REAL, I'D HAVE JUST KILLED HIM!  
Sora: Gee… thanks. I've always wanted to die.

**Oh and please don't make Selphie and Kairi 2 stupid kay?  
**I can try, but it can't be helped.

**In the story you said that they were in Sora's house and then you said they were at Riku's house and then I think back 2 Sora's house so which was it?  
**I can't remember… But most of their moments take place at Riku's house so it was probably Riku's house.

**If you hate kairi so much, just like I do, why isn't she an evil bitch in your story?  
**Because I've always found evil bitch!Kairi to be extremely unrealistic. She's not like that. So I either shove her off to the side or make her tolerable. Because those are her default settings.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** Look! I've got a pencil! A sparkly pencil that sparkles! And says Riku-And-Sora-Make-Hot-Passionate-Love-24/7 on it!

**Author's Note:** Starting this because Kari has been poking me for, like, ever to get on with it. The long awaited Chapter 14. But first, a few things about this chapter. There is **no** smut. None at all. Well, okay, maybe just a little. There's loads of lime and implications, but I don't do details.

I'm very sorry. –looks sad and ignores Riku's screamed curses in a zillion different languages-

But.

I did write a lemon (because Kari is evil and blackmailed me with the puppy dog eyes). So, if you want to read it, e-mail me and I'll send it to you. But it's my first time writing one so it may suck!

Also, um, this is not the end of the story. Because lots more stuff have to happen. A _lot_ more stuff. Hee. That is all! On with the fun!

**Addendum:** To my extreme horror and dismay, this chapter is twenty-pages long. Or eighteen without the lemon. Which is eight pages (or ten pages) shorter than the previous one. Which is bad. Because I have a system – each chapter is at least a page longer than the one before it. But all the stuff that was supposed to happen in this chapter happened and adding in fillers will ruin the 'flow'!

Dammit. Sorry, but this really kind of bugs me. Makes me feel all inadequate or something. Or maybe I'm just in a bad mood. Oh well.

I hope you guys enjoy it anyway, although it ends in a cliffhanger.

**Thanks to:**

Griever Weapon, SilverEmerald-DAS, hikaruS, greyspark, LordxofxPaopus0809, The Shadows Hide All, Anony mouse, DarkSailorSenshi, Jenni's Heart of Gold, Tama-Kitsune, Swordstuff, Riku, KruezTexture, Thaflaimingphoenix, WhiteLightning, KHFanatic, lilc, Senrae, AllmightyNano1, aiko, ChibiNekoSakura, DevilsThrill, Shattered Darkness, hikkix2, xcrossfirex, BadLuckShuichi, Ice Dragon3, ToysofLove, Haven-Hikari, Ink2, ChocoboLuver724, kuramasgirl13, LaDyPnAi, Queen of the Paperclips, A Warrior in Love, fezz368, KHlover, Rezuna Kitsune of Ice, Anukis-san, Xeora, Green Feathers, mystic-angel1, Insert Bad Cliche Here, LiLi-Sama, cammy-world, Insanehikari, JaninaKeks, MooNBlaDeR, sangariasweetness, Lain of the Weird, Riku's gurl, Kori Tenshi, Nightingale Dragon, Korbin, Hatsuharu, siverrain, Reader, XoBrYtToX, and everybody else who's reviewed in the last couple of days.

Too sleepy to reply to anyone… or do FAQs… or anything…

**Date Begun:** May 11, 2005

**Date Posted: **June 7, 2005

**Chapter 14:** And Everything's Alright

_I think about your face and how I fall into your eyes  
__The outline that I trace around the one that I call mine  
__Time that called for space, unclear where you drew the line  
__I don't need to solve this case and I don't need to look behind  
__Close my eyes  
__Let the whole thing pass me by  
__There is no time to waste asking why  
__I'll run away with you by my side  
__I'll run away with you by my side  
__I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride  
__Until this echo, echo, echo, echo in my mind  
__Until this echo, echo, echo, echo can subside, yeah  
__Do I expect to change the past I hold inside?  
__With all the words I say repeating over in my mind  
__Some things you can't erase no matter how hard you try  
__An exit to escape is all there is left to find  
__(I know I always loved you)  
_**_—Trapt's "Echo"_**

Warmth. Beautiful, wonderful, luscious, soothing **warmth**.

It was comforting, this feeling… he loved it. A light touch of lips trailing over his cheek while ghostly fingers danced across the back of his neck. It tingled and tickled and filled him with that delicious warmth.

He was caught between leaning in to those phantom touches and brushing them away in order to fall back into the beautiful serenity of sleep.

When those same ghostly lips suddenly began sucking at his pulse point, however, Sora found it **very** hard to ignore. His eyes snapped open as a light moan escaped his lips.

Riku had been up for quite some time, just watching the brunette sleep peacefully in the bed beside him. Finally, when Sora had begun muttering something about apple pie, Riku had found him simply too cute to resist and had begun to… play.

Sora shivered under Riku's ministrations, turning over to face the older boy and blinking exhausted blue eyes. "What time is it?" he asked, shivering again.

Riku didn't stop kissing Sora's neck for a minute; he slipped his hand over the brunette's waist and glanced at his watch, beginning to suck softly. He brought his lips to Sora's ear and whispered, "6:30."

"Too early…" Sora murmured, pushing Riku away from him and sitting up. He rubbed his eyes and glanced blearily around the semi-tidy room until his eyes landed on his boyfriend. "Why are you so horny in the mornings?"

"Hey, don't insult me and my insatiable sex drive. If you **want** to help, you could just get naked," Riku retorted flatly, sulking at the loss of his plaything – namely, Sora's neck.

The brunette rolled his eyes and smiled softly, leaning down and brushing his lips against Riku's. He pulled back when the older boy tried to deepen the kiss, his face very serious. "Riku, I'm hungry."

Riku blinked.

"Feed me," Sora repeated calmly, quirking an eyebrow. "What did you think I was going to say? 'Riku, oh wonderful studdly sex god, please screw me right here and now'? Good luck."

Riku sat up, trying not to look as though that was **exactly** what he'd wanted Sora to say. Instead, he got out of bed and grabbed the nearest shirt, pulling it on. Sora, who'd slept fully clothed, waited by the bedroom door while Riku pulled a pair of pants over the boxers he'd slept in.

Ayumi casually strolled past the bedroom, smiling when she saw Sora. "Finally, you two—" she paused and sniffed. "I don't smell sex."

"There was no sex," Riku said, unperturbed by his mother's bluntness. "Although, Sora **did** try to rape me—"

"MRS. MASAKI!" Sora cut in quickly, clinging to Ayumi's arm. "Food? Food, good, yes? Let's go to the kitchen and make lots of food! Lots and lots of food!"

Ayumi gave Riku an amused look, then nodded. "Alright, Sora, we'll go make lots and lots of good food."

Riku chuckled as the two headed down the stairs, waiting until their voices faded away. He walked over to the closet and pulled out the slightly beat-up video camera his father had given him before he took off for parts unknown.

Riku hummed thoughtfully. To tape or not to tape. That was the eternal question. As much as he tried to concentrate on this depressing issue, he couldn't stop the thoughts of Sora sleeping peacefully beside him, or of Sora laughing, or of Sora with food filling both his cheeks and making them puff out like a blowfish… just thoughts of **Sora**.

**His** Sora.

"Riku! Masakichi is making pancakes and waffles! You can have the waffles and I'll eat the pancakes, okay? OKAY!" Sora's voice erupted from downstairs.

Riku raised an eyebrow, putting his previous debate out of his mind as he headed down to the kitchen. "Who the hell is 'Masakichi'?"

Ayumi grinned. "Sora's given me a nickname since he **refuses** to just call me Ayumi," she explained as she set a plate of pancakes down in front of Sora. The brunette grabbed the maple syrup and coated the pancakes gratuitously before digging in.

He reminded Riku very much of a Hoover vacuum cleaner what with the way he was sucking up those pancakes and all…

Oh… 'Sucking' in relation to Sora… BAD!

He shook himself out of it and sat down, smiling as Ayumi set a plate of waffles in front of him. He wasn't very hungry (well, not hungry for **food**), so he merely stuck his fork into the waffles and pushed them to the side to continue watching Sora eat.

The brunette remained oblivious to this scrutiny and was enjoying his breakfast very much. Ayumi was an excellent cook, probably even better than his mother.

Which reminded him…

Sora set down his fork and swallowed the pancakes in his mouth, frowning. What was Seiya doing? She had yet to call him back to the house or make any contact with him whatsoever. Sora suddenly felt like bringing his breakfast back up. It took a miracle to make his mother angry and the fact that he'd managed to do it so easily…

He jumped slightly as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him out of his chair, into a warm embrace. Sora didn't realize he was crying until a tear fell on his hand. He moved closer to Riku and inhaled deeply, trying to calm down.

Riku gave Ayumi the subtle 'go away now' look. She nodded. "But, hurry up. The bus will be here soon."

He ignored the statement and waited for her to leave the room before sitting down and pulling Sora into his lap. He brushed his fingers through those messy locks of hair. "Hey, you want to go somewhere today?"

"Like where?" Sora murmured, his voice shaky. He pressed his face even closer to Riku's chest and sighed.

"I don't know. Let's run away together," Riku continued lightly, rubbing Sora's back to help him relax. "Just pack up some stuff, grab some money, and go wherever the wind takes us. It'd be nice to get away from… everything… just for a while…"

Sora didn't reply.

Riku sighed. "Yeah, I know I'm being silly. It seemed like a good idea when I said it, though," he chuckled a bit, looking at the wall.

Sora pulled away from the hug, looking at Riku intently. "It **is** a good idea," he said with a small smile. "Yeah. Let's run away."

Riku smiled back. "Okay."

-

Tidus didn't like dreams. His dreams usually involved the **last** person he wanted to be thinking about at the time.

So, naturally, he'd spent the entire night tossing and turning caught up in a tangled web full of Selphie-induced dreams. And they were the worst kinds of dreams, too.

_"Tidus, help me! I can't hang on anymore! I'm gonna fa—AHHH!"  
__"Selphie!__ No!"_

_"Tidus!"  
__"Selphie!"  
__"Tidy-Whities!"  
__"Selphie-Bug!"  
__"I love you!"  
__"Aw… Selphie… we're in public!"  
__  
"FEEL THE WRATH OF MY __SUPE__R-GLOMP!"  
__"Ack!__ SELPHIE!"_

_"I **hate** you, Tidus Mihada! You bastard!"_

_"Hee… does Little Tidus need a little attention? Let me… take care of that for you…"_

That last dream had been what finally woke him up in the end, exhausted and disoriented. And also extremely depressed that there was no naked Selphie hovering over him in bed.

Then again, he'd never seen Selphie naked.

He brushed his hair out of his face and looked at the wall where he had a bulletin board covered in pictures of Selphie, him and Selphie, and ticket stubs from movies they'd gone to see together, receipts from clothes he'd bought her, that cell phone bill he'd paid for her one time.

There were also hallmark cards and silly little presents that were capable of being stuck to a bulletin board and a nice heading: 'Tidus and Selphie For Life'.

He snorted at that.

He yawned and crawled back between the sheets, staring at the ceiling. Well, that relationship was as good as over, just like all of the other ones he'd ever been in.

But why did he care so much? **That** had definitely never happened before. Seeing girls cry didn't bother him at all. Neither did being hated.

But having Selphie cry because she hated him… something about that hurt. And he couldn't fucking figure out **why**.

Tidus rolled over onto his side and tried to get back to sleep. With luck, Dream Selphie would still be waiting, naked, for him to come back so she could finish her, uh, task. At least Dream Selphie never confused him this much.

-

"Let's have sex."

Leon didn't pull his head out from under the pillow. If anything, he crawled even further under.

Faced with being blatantly ignored, Cloud frowned and swung a leg over his boyfriend, pushing Leon onto his back. "Leon?"

The brunette grunted, but otherwise didn't reply. Cloud's attempts to remove the pillow were fruitless, so he settled for making himself comfortable and giving Leon a slightly worried look.

"Are you sick?" Cloud inquired, biting his lip. "Is it contagious? Is that why you won't look at me?"

"Get off me," Leon replied flatly. "If I **wanted** to screw you, I would have done it already. All I want you to do now, however, is get **off** me."

Cloud looked adorably confused. "Huh?"

Without warning, Leon suddenly shoved him, not seeming to care when Cloud went flying off the bed. Instead, the brunette pulled up the covers and curled up under the blankets.

Cloud stared at Leon's back, still looking extremely confused. Obviously he'd missed something. Or maybe he'd done something to make Leon angry? But he couldn't remember having done anything…

"Leon?" he said in a much more somber voice. "Are you mad at me?"

He'd learned that assuming things with Leon only led to trouble, so the direct route was the best way to go. Cloud decided to stay on the floor, just in case Leon mauled him for going near the bed.

"Not really," Leon answered, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Maybe you should go home or something."

"Go… home…?" Cloud echoed blankly. He frowned. It definitely sounded like Leon was mad at him. Leon probably just didn't want to talk about it.

Well, **fine**.

"Whatever," the blonde said flippantly, getting to his feet. "Have fun wallowing in your fit of self-induced misery." Cloud walked out of the room and headed towards the stairs, his hands jammed in his pocket and his head bowed.

What the hell had **he** done?

He suddenly crashed into someone and grabbed them before they hit the ground, identifying the person as Aerith. He steadied her, then glared at the wall for a moment.

It only took a three-second assessment. "Fight with Leon?"

"Yep."

Aerith gave him a sympathetic look and walked on to her room.

Cloud rested his back against the wall and then slid down to the floor, glaring at his shoes now. He was in a very dark mood and the only one capable of bringing him out of it was the one who'd pissed him off in the first place.

Then again, that was just how things went sometimes. Especially things with Leon. It was at times like those Cloud wondered what would have happened if he'd stayed with Aerith instead.

-

Sora had never run away from home before. He wasn't even sure if Riku was serious. But, given the circumstances, he couldn't wait to run as far away as his legs could take him.

They'd grabbed their bags for school, but, instead of books, their bags were filled with clothes, toiletries, a change of shoes, and bags of dry cereal. Sora was nervous as hell, but the sight of Riku checking the bus schedule helped him relax.

As long as he had Riku, he was fine.

Riku jogged back over to Sora and took his hand. "How about we go to Hokkaido? The country air might be good for us."

"Are we coming back?" Sora asked, voicing his fears and looking up at Riku trustingly. The older boy brushed Sora's hair from his eyes and smiled softly.

"Of course. As much as I want to, I'd never kidnap you from your family," he said reassuringly. "Now, come on. The bus will be here any minute."

Sora pulled some cheerios from his backpack and started to eat, resting his head on Riku's shoulder and yawning. It was still way too early.

Riku wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, causing a small smile to make it's way onto Sora's face. "Riku?"

"Hm?" the older boy answered, staring out at the road.

"Thanks," Sora said quietly. Riku looked down at him for a moment, then kissed his forehead softly, running his fingers through the spiky locks. Sora's smile widened as Riku poked him in the side, and he squirmed. "Stop that!"

Riku grinned. "Hey, it got you to smile, didn't it?"

Sora blushed, turning to look at the road, then hopping up. "Bus! Bus! I call the window seat! I hope they have a good movie!"

Riku laughed, getting up as well and waiting for the bus to pull up in front of them before following an excited Sora on. His mother was going to **kill** him for this. Skipping school to drive out to the country?

Oh yes. He was dead, dead, dead, dead, **dead**. She'd lock him in his room, tie him to his bed, then put a naked Sora **just** beyond his reach.

Although, he would definitely break the ropes to get to such a beautiful sight.

Sora took a seat near the back so the bus driver wouldn't get suspicious about what two high school boys were doing taking a bus during school hours and beamed, kissing Riku on the cheek.

"On to adventure!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "Bonsai!"

Riku copied his motions, laughing. "Bonsai!"

Sora crawled into Riku's lap and straddled him, wrapping his arms around Riku's shoulders and kissing him deeply. He pulled away, smiling, a blush on his cheeks. "Have I ever told you how great you are?"

"Not nearly as much as I tell myself," Riku answered, wrapping his arms around Sora's waist. They weren't the only ones on the bus. There was also an old lady sitting in the seat across from them.

But she was obviously either asleep or blind. One couldn't tell with those sunglasses over her eyes and all.

Blind or not, Riku didn't really care much if the hands sliding under Sora's shirt were any indication. Sora blushed.

"Riku! She could see—"

"She won't. Not if you're quiet," Riku murmured, leaning down and kissing the crook of Sora's neck. The brunette shivered and melted into a pile of mushy goo, at Riku's mercy. Riku was quite delighted.

After all, it was a long, long way to Hokkaido.

-

Seiya took a deep breath to brace herself for what she was about to do. What a horrible wife she'd seem like. What kind of wife wasn't even aware that her husband was in intensive care? If she didn't get laughed at, she'd be subject to some serious scorn.

This was all her fault anyway. She **should** have been suspicious when the letters stopped coming. She'd just figured that he was fine and they weren't sending anymore money because the last payment was enough to cure him.

That plainly showed just how wrong a person could be.

She got directions from the front desk and stepped into the elevator, staring at the wall. Once this visit was over and done with she had one more thing to contend with.

Sora. She was already feeling guilty for chucking him out of the house like she had, but she'd just been so upset she hadn't been thinking.

That was a trait that ran in the family. Well, she'd call Sora up later and tell him to come back home, then make it up to him the only way she knew how.

With chocolate!

The elevator opened with a ding and Seiya stepped into the emergency room, bracing herself and sighing.

-

Selphie hadn't left her room since she'd gotten home from her date last night and it was making her parents terribly nervous.

She'd come inside, in tears, and raced up to her bedroom, promptly locking the door and refusing any and all chances to talk. Her parents were worried.

Luckily, Selphie was not inside her room alone. Kairi had long since climbed up the tree in her yard and vaulted through the open window – injuring herself in the process. Now Kairi sat on the edge of Selphie's bed, her arm still numb, but determined none-the-less.

"So he had Leon and Cloud check up on Sora while you guys were out on your date?" Kairi said, absolutely outraged.

"Uh huh," Selphie answered, a few more tears escaping her eyes. "It was like I was getting in the way or something. So I ended it, once and for all. I don't even want to be his friend anymore! I don't want to feel like this ever again!"

Kairi nodded sympathetically, patting Selphie's head. "I understand. You cry all you want, dear."

Selphie glanced at Kairi out of the corner of her eye as the redhead stood up and poked her numb arm. Nope. She still couldn't feel a thing. Oh well.

"Where are you going?" Selphie asked, sitting up slightly.

Kairi walked back over to the window and put a foot through. "I'm going to go kill that Mihada bastard."

She glanced down at the street below and smirked. Tidus was walking past the house with his hands jammed in his pockets, purposely trying not to look in that direction.

"HEY MIHADA!" Kairi shouted. "CATCH!"

With that, she jumped out the window.

Tidus watched the psychotic girl fall for a moment before cursing and running forward to catch her. They fell backwards onto the grass. Kairi had knocked the wind out of him, but she was still alive.

Tidus glared at her. "Why the hell were you jumping out of the third story wind—OOF!"

Kairi kissed her bruised knuckle and glared at the boy she'd just punched. Tidus' lip was bleeding.

A small price to pay.

Tidus touched the wound gently, then glared at her again. "Thanks. I've always wanted a swollen lip."

Kairi's fist struck again. Tidus now had a black eye as well.

Before she could do any more damage, he rolled them over and pinned her to the ground, pulling a headband – which she recognized as Selphie's – out of his pocket and tying her hands with them.

Once he was satisfied that she wouldn't be able to escape, he got off her and stood. Tidus glanced up at the window, where he saw Selphie looking down at them before she disappeared and pulled the curtains closed.

"Obviously, you heard about last night," Tidus muttered, looking down at the irate redhead who was glaring up at them with rage to rival a serial killer's. He **almost** flinched.

"Obviously. How could you? And here I was thinking you were nice, but then you—" she cut herself off and frowned, thinking.

_"You'll be apologizing forever, then." _

Her look softened. "Oh, Tidus…"

The blonde stared at her, unnerved. Either she was PMS-ing, or she was always this psychotic. He was willing to bet on the last one. Who in their right mind went around throwing themselves through windows? What if he hadn't caught her?

"'Oh, Tidus' what?" he asked warily, looking back up at Selphie's window with a blank expression on his face. There was silence behind him. Tidus ignored it. "Well, whatever. At least you can't hit me anymore with your arms all tied up like that."

"All tied up like what?"

Tidus turned around to see that Kairi had freed herself and was now rubbing her arm and looking at him. He blinked.

"How did you…?" he began, then paused when he saw her poke her arm. "What happened?"

Kairi flushed. "I **may** have injured myself jumping into Selphie's room from that tree over there. I landed on a chair and hit my arm and now it's numb."

Tidus rolled his eyes. It was official. Kairi was out of her mind. He just seemed to attract crazy people. At least Selphie had been crazy in a good way.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. "I'll take you back to my house so my mom can take a look. She's a nurse."

He glanced back up at Selphie's window again, only to see her peering through the curtains. His expression softened, but only briefly before it turned blank once again.

Kairi was staring at him. "Tidus—"

"Let's just go," Tidus muttered, heading back home.

-

Leon blinked in surprise as he opened his bedroom door and spotted Cloud sitting on the ground in front of him. The two stared at each other evenly.

"Didn't you storm off in a huff two hours ago?" Leon asked, finally breaking the tense silence. He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the doorpost.

"Didn't make it past this spot," Cloud replied expressionlessly. He sighed. "Can I spend the night?"

Leon continued to stare for a moment or two longer before he shrugged and stepped to the side so that Cloud could re-enter the bedroom. "Sure."

The blonde made no reply, flopping down on the bed and staring at the ceiling while Leon silently shut the door.

"Did Aerith go out?" Leon asked to distract himself from the obvious tension in the room. "I haven't heard her… _heavenly_ voice for hours now."

"I think she's studying. She walked into her room while I was out there."

"I see."

The silence stretched on. Even _Leon_ was becoming uncomfortable. And that was a Herculean task, considering peace and quiet were two things he lived his life craving for. He cleared his throat, glancing away when Cloud turned to look at him.

"Are you going to tell me what crawled up your ass earlier, or what?" Cloud asked, sounding mildly irritated. "I don't want to sit here and stare at the ceiling all day. I have a life. Sure, 99.9 percent of that life includes you, but, hey, I can live without."

Leon raised an eyebrow, ignoring the pleasant way his stomach clenched at those words. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. Geez, you act as if you didn't know that already."

"Well, maybe I didn't," Leon retorted defensively, folding his arms. "Maybe I thought you were only in this for something else."

Cloud sat up on the bed, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like—"

Leon was cut off as the door opened, revealing a very stressed out Aerith. She pointed at something in her workbook. "It's like they're speaking another _language_!"

"Maybe that's because that book's in English," Leon replied flatly, back inside his shell. "Do you mind?"

"Mind what? You guys weren't doing anything interesting." She froze. "Uh, n-not that I was, er, listening in or anything…"

Cloud and Leon exchanged looks before Cloud sighed and stood, walking over to Aerith. "Come on, then. I'll help you out."

Leon watched them go, closing the door behind them and then falling back on the bed, desperately needing some aspirin.

-

"I can't believe we drove all the way to Sapporo City! And on a school day!" Sora whined as the bus drove away, leaving the two boys in front of the Prince Hotel. "Well, actually, school **night** now."

Riku glanced up at the sky. It was dark and the stars were starting to come out. Getting to Hokkaido had taken longer than he'd thought it would, although he supposed he was to blame for that.

The old lady hadn't been blind and she'd woken up to find two shirtless boys making out in the bus seat across from her. She'd spent an hour lecturing them, then three more lecturing the poor bus driver.

They were lucky the bus driver hadn't kicked them off on the spot.

"Your mom is going to **kill** you! This was all your idea!" Sora continued, pointing at Riku. The older boy didn't seem to be listening, though. He was now looking at the hotel. "Riku! Would you pay attention when I'm yelling at you?"

"How about we stay here the night?" Riku asked, pointing at the tall, lit building. "I brought some money. It should be enough for one night."

Sora gaped. "Are you **crazy**! We've got to go **home**! It's 9 P.M., Riku! We're probably in so much trouble and you're thinking of checking us into a **hotel**!"

"Well. Yes," Riku said simply. "That was the last bus back to Aomori. We're stuck here until morning."

"AND YOU DECIDE TO TELL ME THIS NOW?"

"I was… preoccupied on the bus, okay?" Riku argued, grabbing Sora's shoulders and turning him around. "Just go. I'll take all the blame from our mothers tomorrow. Tonight, we're staying here."

Sora muttered a wide array of colorful curses under his breath, some things Riku hadn't even been aware he knew. And, as fascinating as it was to listen to, it meant Sora was mad at him, which wasn't a good thing.

Oh well. He could worry about that later.

He booked them a Standard Twin Room B in the tower for 18,000 yen and led Sora into the elevator. The brunette had finally stopped cursing in favor of looking around the hotel in wonder and amazement. It truly was a sight to behold.

"Riku… I smell food…" Sora murmured, sniffing as the elevator doors closed. "…And now I don't."

Sora didn't get an opportunity to say much else, considering Riku had pinned him up against the elevator wall and had fused their lips together and all. Not that Sora minded.

The other five occupants of the elevator, however, did.

It was a great relief to everyone when Riku pulled away to announce that this was their floor and pulled Sora off the elevator.

-

Seiya entered the hospital room where they were keeping her husband and nearly collapsed to the ground.

He looked an awful mess with tubes everywhere and a machine hooked up to his arm. It was exactly like those hospital scenes in the movies and, while Seiya had always enjoyed a good drama, seeing her own **husband** like this was almost enough to break her.

She took a deep breath and walked over to the bed. The nurse had said she only had twenty minutes before visiting hours were over. It wasn't **her** fault she'd gotten so nervous she'd ended up riding the elevator up and down until she worked up the courage to finally come in here.

Seiya reached over and brushed his matted her out of his face. "Oh, Jiro… I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should have taken Sora with me on that business trip or called a babysitter or something."

Naturally, the man didn't respond.

She opened her mouth to say more, but couldn't find her voice. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

A dull motion in her pocket alerted her to the fact that someone was calling. Not taking her eyes off her husband, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, putting it to her ear. "Hello?"

"RIKU AND SORA ARE GONE! GONE GONE GONE GONE GONE!"

"Ayumi?" Seiya shouted, holding the phone away from her ear. She lowered her voice and turned away from Jiro, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"Riku and Sora didn't go to school today! They're M.I.A. I'll kill 'em! If they're not dead, mugged, raped, robbed, beaten, or maimed, I'LL KILL THEM!" Ayumi related, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Seiya frowned. "Missing? Where could they have gone?"

"I don't know! They haven't called! They didn't go to school! They didn't even tell me anything about this! Oooh, I swear to **God**, I'm going to—"

Seiya pressed a hand to her forehead. "Oh, this is all my fault. I'll call Sora on his cell phone. Try to calm down and I'll call you back if I get any word from them."

"Tell them I'm going to KILL them!" Ayumi said as her parting words before hanging up the phone. Seiya put the phone back into her pocket, then walked over to the bed, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her husband's forehead.

"I love you," she murmured, standing and walking out of the room, a determined look on her face. She was going to find those two and when she did…

She'd KILL them!

-

Kairi's arm felt much better after Tidus' mother placed some ice on it and wrapped it in a bandage. She, personally, felt the bandage was unnecessary, but Mrs. Mihada had insisted on it. Now, she was sitting in the living room and waiting for Tidus to come back from taking a bath.

His house was much nicer than she'd given him credit for. She did wish his mother hadn't left them alone, though. Surely, she could have gone grocery shopping later?

Tidus came down the stairs (fully dressed, thank god) in a yellow t-shirt and jeans, a towel around his neck. "Feeling better?"

"Much," Kairi admitted, shutting off the TV. "Thanks. Knowing me, I probably would have ignored it until my arm fell off."

"I'm well aware of how stubborn you are," Tidus muttered. His mother had cared for him too so the swelling in his eye and lip weren't as bad as they could have been. He'd surprised Kairi there and told his mother that he'd fallen.

It almost made her feel bad for what she'd done. **Almost**.

He took a seat on the other end of the couch, his feet up on the table and staring at the black television screen.

"So," Kairi said slowly. "Let's talk."

Tidus didn't reply.

"What's going on with you, Tidus? You're either a good guy gone bad or a bad guy with a slight good streak, but either way both you and Selphie are suffering," she continued, despite the silence. "You can't keep breaking her heart like that."

"Selphie and I are over," Tidus muttered dully. "It was never going to work out anyway. She's too good for me. And until I get my revenge on Sora, I'll never be good enough for her."

"Here's a wild idea!" Kairi said with mock enthusiasm. "How about you **don't** get your revenge on Sora?"

Tidus gave her a flat look before smiling humorlessly. "You're cute. **So** cute. If I hadn't already found a girl I'm in love with, I'd date you instead."

Kairi blinked at the emotionless tone. "…Was that sarcasm?"

"Duh."

Frowning slightly, Kairi looked back at the black-screened television. "You're very difficult, you know."

"**Please** don't start analyzing me again. Just sit there and be quiet. I know it's hard for you, but try, for my sake," Tidus snapped in irritation, narrowing his eyes at her. Kairi glared back, slumping down in the chair and folding her arms.

She would **not** let Tidus get the satisfaction of silence.

She spent the next thirty minutes coughing, whistling, sneezing, shuffling and making as much noise as she could without words.

-

"I really hate you right now, you know that, right?" Cloud asked as he flipped through Aerith's English book, frowning in concentration. He was somewhat fluent in the language since he'd taken the class already.

Didn't mean he liked reading/speaking it though.

"What did **I** do?" Aerith replied, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. "If I need help, I need help. I could get Leon's help instead if it bothers you so much."

"Nah, he's testy right now," Cloud said, sighing and pulling out a sheet of loose-leaf. "I was **about** to find out what was wrong when Ms. Mary Sunshine, AKA you, decided to come barging in."

Aerith huffed. "Well, I'm sorry if I interrupted you and your sex toy."

"He's not my sex toy," Cloud protested. "It's vice versa."

Aerith rolled her eyes and tapped the English book. "Would you concentrate, please? I don't want to do bad in this class. I'm a Student Ambassador. What if we get an English exchange student?"

"Who cares? Americans are weird."

Giving up, Aerith flopped down on the bed.

Cloud pushed the English book away and stared at the wall. He hadn't heard any noise from Leon's room since he'd left. Either Leon was asleep, brooding, or dead. Cloud hoped it was the first.

Leon was **adorable** when he was asleep.

Smiling softly, Cloud stretched. "I'm tired. I think, for once, I'm going to go home. I haven't seen my bed in a few days."

"That's for sure," Aerith snorted from the bed. "But you didn't help me at all!"

"Well, you can't expect everyone to go around doing everything for you," Cloud replied sweetly. "Goodnight, beautiful."

He ran out the door and closed it just as something heavy and breakable shattered against it.

-

The room was beautiful, just like the rest of the hotel, and with a view of the city. Sora spent an entire ten minutes staring down at the bright lights of Sapporo City before Riku joined him, slowly sliding his arms around Sora's waist from behind.

The brunette leaned in to the touch, turning his head to the side to kiss Riku's cheek and beam. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Mhmm," Riku murmured, gaining a sudden interest in exploring every inch of the skin on Sora's neck. "Very pretty."

"Y-you're not even… looking…" Sora protested, squirming a bit under Riku's teasing touches. "Riku!"

It was obvious the older boy wasn't paying attention to a single word he was saying, so Sora fell quiet and let Riku continue showering his neck with love and affection. He didn't mind at all, really, and besides, it felt **nice** having Riku's arms around him like that.

Sora turned around in Riku's arms and kissed him deeply, catching the white-haired boy off-guard for a few seconds, before Riku quickly recovered and kissed him back.

It wasn't too long before Sora pulled away, beaming at Riku briefly before running over to jump on the bed. "I love this hotel! Can we stay and get married to the hotel, Riku?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Riku said with an amused smile, walking over to the bed. He pulled Sora to his feet, then sat down and dragged the younger boy down into his lap. Riku immediately wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and resumed his earlier actions.

Sora mewled softly, arching his back. "You're very affectionate today."

"Can't help it," Riku answered, nipping at Sora's collarbone. "You're too adorable to resist."

"Riku…" Sora murmured, shifting slightly. "Ah… um… Shower!"

Riku blinked as Sora suddenly got out of his lap, face bright red. He raised an eyebrow. "Sora, considering we haven't even fucked yet, I hardly think it appropriate for us to be taking showers together."

"No—not—argh! Me take shower, you just… just… argh!" Sora pouted, whirling around and grabbing a towel as he stomped into the bathroom, muttering about white-haired sex gods with insatiable libidos.

Riku sighed. "Soooooora, I'm loooonely."

"So use your left hand or something! I'm taking a bath!"

"Hff," Riku huffed, laying back on the bed. "He could at _least_ take pictures while he's in there."

-

Seiya stood outside the hospital, chewing her pinky fingernail as she tried ringing Sora's cell phone. She'd taught him not to go anywhere without it. Hopefully, that had stuck.

It rang for a while – too long, if you asked her. Every moment that ticked by made her more and more nervous. When Sora finally answered the phone, rushing water in the background, she felt dizzy with relief.

"Hello?"

"Sora?" she asked, leaning against the wall of the building. "Where are you?"

The water sound got louder. Seiya imagined she must have interrupted him in the middle of a bath.

Well la-dee fucking da.

"Why the hell weren't you in school today? Is Riku with you? Where are you two? I swear to **God** I'm going to—"

Sora hiccupped nervously. "Er, h-hi, Mom. Er, um, well… you remember how I've always wanted to go to Hokkaido?"

"YOU WENT TO HOKKAIDO?"

"…Yes," Sora said meekly. Seiya's left eye was twitching spastically.

"Why?" she asked as calmly as she could. There was a long period of silence. Knowing Sora, **he** probably didn't know why he'd done it. She rubbed her temples. "Is Riku with you?"

The water stopped. "Um, yeah. We took a bus up here. We'll be back tomorrow. We're in a hotel in Sapporo City…"

Seiya's eye started twitching again.

"Listen, Mom," Sora said quietly. "I'm sorry about… about the letters… I just… you had so much other stuff to worry about and I didn't want you to be sad. I thought I could handle it, and I was wrong, and I'm really sorry."

Seiya closed her eyes, breathing slowly. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears when she reopened them. "It's okay," she breathed. "Just… get home safe, okay?"

"So you can kill me?"

"Yes. So I can kill you," Seiya replied with a grin. "Try not to have too much fun with Riku, now! All alone in a hotel…"

"MOM!"

"I'm only telling the truth…"

Sora made an exasperated noise. "I'll see you tomorrow! Goodbye!"

"Bye, Sora." Seiya closed her phone and closed her eyes once again, taking another calming breath. At least they were safe. They were safe and in another district, but at least they were safe.

She smirked. There was **no** way Sora was coming back a virgin.

-

Tidus was blatantly ignoring the girl standing in the doorway of his kitchen as he pushed the photograph into the garbage disposal, finding small comfort in the loud, grinding noise.

He'd gotten sick of Kairi's constant noise and movement and jumped off the couch, walking up to his room for something to take his silent anger out on. His eyes had landed on the mementoes from his relationship with Selphie.

Now, here he was, stuffing it all into the garbage disposal and saying his final goodbyes. Selphie didn't matter. No, she didn't matter at all. In fact, she was loud and annoying and whiny and demanding and attention-seeking and such a fucking martyr and…

Really cute and funny and sympathetic and always there for him, even when he fucked things up and…

He stiffened. No. That was over now. Selphie didn't matter. All that mattered was that asshole Sora and getting revenge from the heartbreak and humiliation and _everything_.

"Tidus…" Kairi said quietly. "Don't you think this is a bit extreme?"

"Shut up," Tidus replied, dropping in the ring she'd given him for no good reason other than 'it'd made her think of him'. She was always doing stupid things like that.

Stupid.

"Tidus—"

"I **said** shut the hell up, Kairi. You think you're so damn high and mighty, but I've got a newsflash for you. I don't need a goddamn psychiatrist, okay? So either shut up or get the hell out of my house," Tidus shouted, glaring at her murderously.

Kairi looked teary. "I was only trying to help…"

"Well, **don't**. I don't deserve to have friends like you."

Kairi blinked, unsure whether that was an insult or a compliment. Tidus turned back to the sink and dropped a postcard in.

"What was that?" Kairi asked hesitantly, walking over and sitting up on the sink. Tidus didn't look at her.

"Selphie had to go to Tokyo for a week. She sent me seven postcards from all seven days, express mail," Tidus deadpanned. He dropped a golden heart pendant in.

"And that?"

"She got Tidus and Selphie engraved on it."

"…That?"

"I took her to a festival and paid for us to take pictures in one of those booths. I kept half, she kept half."

"It sounds like you two were really close," Kairi whispered, pretending not to take notice of the drop of water sliding down his cheek. _Too bad you have to push everything that's good away._

-

Sora stepped out of the bathroom, cursing his own stupidity. He'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes into the bathroom with him, so he was left to wrap himself tightly up in his towel and **hope** Riku didn't try anything.

Ha. Right.

His eyes swept over the room, searching for any sign of the white-haired boy. And find him Sora most certainly did.

Riku was sprawled out on the bed, just like he'd been when Sora had first gone to take his shower. However, in preparation of his own shower, Riku had discarded his shirt. Sora couldn't help but stare at the firm muscles of Riku's chest and arms, swallowing deeply.

**Why** did Riku have to be so damn sexy? There had to be some kind of law against that.

The older boy seemed to finally notice that he was being watched and rolled onto his side, propping his head up with one arm. An easy smile made its way onto Riku's face as a single lock of hair fell against his cheek.

"Should I get you a bucket for your drool?" he asked in amusement, raising an eyebrow at the distant look on Sora's face.

The brunette was in another world entirely, the picture of Riku perfection imprinted in his brain for lonely nights to come.

Riku smirked. "Oh, I see how you are. You only want me for my body."

Sora swallowed again, watching Riku's hand move to brush the offensive lock from his face. The white-haired boy then rolled onto his back again, his arms cushioning his head.

"Earth to Sora," Riku said in a sing-song voice, not bothering to glance in the brunette's direction. "Wakey, wakey. Earth to—oof!"

Sora pounced, knocking the air out of his aquamarine-eyed lover. He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against Riku's, his hands moving of their own free will. Riku stifled a snicker and wrapped his arms tightly around Sora's body, pulling the slightly damp boy down on top of him.

Sora pulled back slightly and took a deep breath, grinning. "Have I ever told you that I think you're hot?"

"Yes," Riku answered, his hand slipping under Sora's towel to trail teasingly up the brunette's thigh. "Have I ever told you that I think you're not wearing anything under this towel?"

Sora shivered under the tantalizing touches, pressing himself even further against Riku. "I-I… y-you might be r-right…"

"Might be? Why don't I just find out for myself?" Riku's smirk widened as his hand continued up, up, upwards until he brushed against a very sensitive part of Sora's anatomy, causing the younger boy to groan and buck his hips. Riku's face was the picture of innocence. "Oh, look. You **aren't** wearing anything under here."

**_And this is where the lemon would be if fanfiction-net didn't have morals._**

Riku kissed Sora's chin and smiled sleepily. "That wasn't so bad, was it, Sora?" There was no answer. "Sora?"

He looked up, only to find that the younger boy was fast asleep. Riku smiled, rolling over and pulling Sora against him, enjoying the feel of a warm body against his own.

Sora sighed happily, deep asleep. Riku couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, the video camera that had gone unnoticed by Sora as he pounced whirred onwards, capturing the very private moment on film.

-

**Slashy:** I bet you all hate me, don't you?

**Sora:** No! -points at Riku- I hate **him**! How could you do this to me!

**Riku:** -dodges flames- Ah! They burn! I'm not an asshole! Really!

**Slashy:** Yeah, but Chapter 15 hasn't come out yet, so they don't know the reasoning behind your actions. Which means, until I update, you're an asshole.

**Riku:** Damn you, woman! Get to your computer and type!

**Slashy:** No time. Tests coming up, you know. Must study and all that.

**Sora:** -crying in the corner-

**Riku:** -sighs and puts on anti-flame suit-

**Slashy:** Yeah, so finals are coming up so I don't know when I'll update next. I'm really sleepy. And I want my Kari.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: **Love On A Rotten Day

**Author: **Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I do, however, own a Playstation magazine with Sora on the cover and pictures from Kingdom Hearts 2, which I won't get to play because some bastards stole my PS2. …All this just did was depress me. I want sugar.

**Author's Note: **'Kay. So. Long wait, I know. And some of you are ready to beat me—or Riku—with flaming pitch forks. However. Um. Don't? Because I kind of need Riku for another ten or so chapters. And, without Riku, Sora would have to resort to banging Kairi and _no one_ wants that.

Except, you know, maybe Kairi. Her love life is pretty much none existent in this story, unless she feels like dating Tidus. Or Wakka. Or… _ew_. Anyway… what was my point again?

**Author's Note II:** In all fairness, this chapter should not be posted before Separate Lives, but my beta hasn't sent that chapter back yet. So. Here. Yeah. My system's screwed up because of you, Kari. Yes, you. You there sitting and looking innocent. Uh huh. I've got my eye on you.

**Thanks to:**

bOb the bUilder, manyissues101, Queen Le Fra Fra, MiKa Sasaki Chan, ThestralPhaelis, Neriad, Uuber, Yamato's Tiger Lily, ReverberatingSilence, DieChan, anon., LaDyPnAi, Rinoki Rio, Omnimalevolent, Kyllia Kakanto, SangoXKirara, Suwlan, neji, la la, §elphie, link's girl, Render Hellsing Zero, sephy's girl, hydrafang19, KHFanatic, co-cho, Toxic Gamer, sgt.crackers, Ravyn Masaki, Onirei Kirara, Sorceress Sakura, Laic, takenawayone, PureMindedNot, elementalalchemist331, Kairi, Slashy no Paloza, diane, you hurt my sora, you die..., ferenatical, KHlover, LitaStarr, The Plushie Bandit, Hunter Hatake, Zract, thunder sister, WhiteLightning, Ferenatical, ElfanGirl, Riku's-Kitsune-Mate, evline'sanger5, sinister hope, vicky, SilverEmerald-DAS, simonski32, The Six of Hearts, KyokiXKurama, ToysofLove, Insanehikari, RuN-Fr0m-h3r3, UTHorns600, superseifer, PSYCH0tic, Evil Chibi Kitten, AlmightyNano1, hYpErAcTivEcAkE, Spooky-Chan, LadyRhio, FREAKnLOSER, BLACKSHEEEP, cRoZx aNgeL, Blackasg, Weee, AmethystButterfly18, DevilsThrill, Haven-Hikari, SaraChris, Peppita-chan, Senrae, Kikei, gwertygwerty, Hiza-chan, KHdude, aoyagi, KruezTexture, Reiky, Pai Mei Lin, MooNBlaDeR, Darkness Rising, Korbin, HeyBlondieHowYouDoin, Jenni Kunoichi, She-Pirate, Ink2, XoBrYtToX, Moomba Luver 385, Tama-Kitsune, Lain of the Weird, silveryami, Queen of the Paperclips, animekittynyan, Shiakuu Hitome, cammy-world, Rise From Thy Ashes, Anukis-san, KittyBlue, RikuxSora, ChibiNekoSakura, Momochi Zabuza, Staryday, Riku's gurl, AirbenderSora, and Lili-Sama.

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE! READ OR I WON'T UPDATE EVER AGAIN (KIDDING!)**

Anyone who didn't get the lemon. There is one of two causes for this:

1. You put your email in your review. If you do that, takes it out so all it says is, 'here's my email: '. And I couldn't send it if I didn't know your email, could I?

2. I sent it to you, but for some reason, it was sent back to me or whatever. Emailing error or something. Either way, it's not my fault.

So, um, yeah. Sorry. 'Kay, so, since you missed what happened, I'll summarize: Sora lost his towel and his virginity. The end.

**Date Begun: **July 30, 2005

**Date Posted: **August 23, 2005

**Chapter 15: **I Used To Think I Had It Good

_You're a salty water ocean wave_

_You knock me down, you kiss my face_

_I know the storms will always come_

_But I still love to have you around_

_Heaven knows what will come next_

_So emotional, you're so complex_

_A rollercoaster built to crash_

_But I still love to have you around_

_You're the one I want and it's not just phase_

_You're the one I trust, our love is the real thing_

**—Gwen Stefani's "The Real Thing"**

Not many people knew this (okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration. A great many people knew this), but Riku was _very_ selfish. What they didn't know was just how selfish he truly was.

His only thought, as he disentangled himself from Sora and walked over to the camera to turn it off and stuff it into his daypack was that this was the only way. He'd had two choices: Not Make The Tape And Keep Sora Until The End Of The Week, or Make The Tape And Keep Sora Until The Dance.

And the longer he got to keep Sora, the better. Riku wasn't ready to part with the younger boy so soon. He didn't think he could stand it to see the horrified and betrayed look Sora would give him when he found out what had been going on. And since it had to happen anyway, he wanted it to happen later, rather than sooner.

Riku zipped up his daypack and stared out the window of the hotel. The sun was just starting to rise. They had a good two hours before they had to leave to go back home. That is, if they wanted to make it back in time for the bloodbath their mothers would put them through.

"Riku?" Sora said, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. His voice was thick with exhaustion. "Where are you?"

Riku pushed his bag into the corner with his foot and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Sora into a hug – albeit a very tight one. Sora re-closed his eyes and snuggled up against Riku's chest.

"What time is it?" he asked with a yawn.

"Five in the morning," Riku answered, checking his watch. He traced patterns on Sora's back with his hand, then reached up to play with a lock of Sora's gravity-defiant hair. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

Sora smiled sleepily. "Not tired," he insisted, burying his head against Riku's chest and inhaling. "You smell like sex."

"Gee, I wonder why," Riku said sarcastically, pushing Sora back down onto the bed and pinning his wrists above his head. "Got any ideas, Sora?"

Sora shifted, grinning. "Guess what?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sore," the brunette replied calmly. "But…"

Riku traced a line from Sora's arm, along the side of his face, down his chest and towards his abdomen. "But what?"

"But I wouldn't be opposed to doing that again," Sora finished, shivering at the direction Riku's hand was going. He unpinned his wrists and caught the wandering hand. "Just, like, not now because I'm sore. And hungry."

Riku smiled and sat up, just staring down at Sora with a fond look on his face. Sora tilted his head to the side. "You look upset. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Riku replied with a shake of his head. He got up and headed over to the door. "I'm going to go get us some breakfast."

"Riku…" Sora whined, not taking his eyes off the older boy. "Are you sure you're alright? Did I do something?" Sora's eyes widened. "Oh my god, I'm bad in bed, aren't I? I was afraid of that! I'll get better I promise! You must hate me now! Waaaah!" Sora dived under the sheets, his face burning with humiliation. "I'M SORRY!"

Riku stared at the lump on the bed blankly before it registered with him what Sora had just screamed. His lips twitched with the effort of not laughing. "Sora… you're not… I mean…" Riku bit his lip to keep a snicker from escaping.

Sora poked his head out from under the blanket, eyes shiny with tears. "Why are you laughing at me? You're not going to go find somebody else are you? Somebody with better… um… bed skills? Please say you're not going to do that…"

Sora looked so honestly upset that any urge Riku had to laugh was instantly forgotten.

"Sora, come on, don't cry," Riku said, going back to the bed and pulling Sora into his lap, blanket and all. "You're not bad in bed and I'm not going to find somebody with better bed skills. I wouldn't do that to you."

Sora didn't look convinced. "But… you looked so upset… I-I thought…"

"Shhh," Riku responded, kissing Sora lightly. He pulled away and smiled. "You just worry about not starving to death in the time it takes me to get to the food court and back."

Sora beamed. "Okay!"

-

Kairi was somewhat proud to say that she and Tidus had formed some kind of weird, twisted friendship. That, coupled with the fact that Riku and Sora hadn't been in school for two days, was her excuse for sitting with him.

Not that Tidus was making very good conversation. His eyes were riveted on a certain brunette sitting across the cafeteria.

"You know," Kairi pointed out as she sipped her Sprite, "you're the one who dumped her. So, this shouldn't really bother you."

'This' referred to the fact that the certain brunette, known to her friends as Selphie, was sitting on the lap of one Irvine Kinneas and was currently involved in a very intense game of tonsil hockey.

Tidus's left eyebrow twitched. "She looks like a total slut hanging off him like that. And I know Irvine. He's a playboy. He's going to dump her as soon as something prettier with a tighter ass comes along."

"Oooh," Kairi replied, pretending to fan her tongue. "Bitter."

"I'm _not_ bitter."

"No, of course not," she said patronizingly. "Selphie looks so happy, doesn't she? Just look at that wide smile on her face. And, oh, Irvine's hand is up her shirt. That might be why she's smiling so much."

Tidus clutched his milk carton so tight it exploded, spraying milk all over him and Kairi. He, however, didn't notice that he'd completely ruined Kairi's brand new shirt. His eyes were still on Selphie.

"I can't _believe_ she's letting him violate her like that. He has _no_ respect for her at _all_," Tidus hissed. "I mean, god, they're practically humping each other in the middle of the friggen cafeteria!"

"Would you calm down? You don't have any claim on her. Selphie can do whatever she wants with whomever she wants now. She's no longer your doormat," Kairi said. "She is a liberated woman. She doesn't need you to make her happy – as if you ever could."

Tidus deflated a little, but he didn't stop looking angry. "I guess… but he still shouldn't be—HE'S UNHOOKING HER BRA FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Kairi looked over at the busy couple. "So he is."

Tidus gave her a very dirty look, then picked up his chocolate pudding. "Not for long." Before Kairi could stop him, he'd thrown his pudding across the room – effectively getting both Irvine and Selphie covered in it – and had screamed out, "FOOD FIGHT!" before ducking under the table.

Kairi ducked a flying bowl of macaroni and cheese and followed Tidus under the table, glowering at the smug look on his face. "That was really mature."

"Yet extremely effective," Tidus said as he peeked out into the chaos. Selphie and Irvine were gone.

-

Riku knew, the moment he entered his house, that he was in trouble. He'd already walked Sora home and stayed to hold him while Seiya screamed bloody murder, then just as suddenly gave Sora a giant chocolate cake and begged his forgiveness for yelling at him in the first place. Sora'd eaten the entire cake by himself and fallen asleep on the couch before Riku decided to go home.

Ayumi was standing in front of him, arms folded and foot tapping. "Well? Explain yourself."

"Um…" Riku stammered. "I screwed Sora while I was gone."

Ayumi's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, you did? That's wonderful! I always knew you two would make the cutest couple! I mean, he's just so adorable and girly and you're all hot and manly and the chemistry between you two is absolutely undeniable and—what the hell is that?"

Riku looked down to where she was pointing and winced. The video camera was sticking slightly out of his bag. "Er…"

Ayumi's shoulders slumped. "You didn't."

Rather than answer, Riku shuffled his feet and looked at the ground.

There was nothing but silence. After studying his feet for close to two minutes, Riku finally decided to look up. His head snapped to the side as he was slapped hard enough to make him slightly dizzy for a couple minutes.

"And I thought I'd raised you right," Ayumi muttered, saying every curse she knew, in as many languages as she knew. She threw up her hands and stormed into the kitchen, screaming expletives.

Riku rubbed his now-red cheek. Ayumi would definitely be cooking some giant concoction that took forever. She always cooked when she was pissed off. Strangely enough, that was when she did her best cooking.

Riku touched his cheek again, not really minding the pain. He was going to be hurting a lot worse in a couple of weeks.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he murmured as he passed the kitchen. There was a pause in the banging before it started up just as loud as before, complete with another expletive.

**-**

Directly after lunch, during eighth period math class, all hell broke loose.

"That was extremely mean, _Mihada_!" Selphie shouted, balling her hands into fists and glaring at the blond in front of her.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Those of us with pure thoughts, minds, and eyes should not have to be subjected to any sexual misconduct in the cafeteria, _Tillmet_."

"Did your precious Kairi teach you all those pretty new words?"

"I'm not his precious _anything_—" Kairi interrupted, but no one was paying any attention to her.

"No, she didn't, but if you want, I'll find you a dictionary so you can understand the insult."

"Are you calling me stupid?

"Were you ever smart?"

"Why you—"

"Selphie, put down the math textbook!"

"Kairi, get out of the way! Let her hit me and then I can sue her ass for physical abuse!"

"Don't you talk to me about abuse, Mihada! I've got a whole year of abuse I could sue you for!"

"Oh, save it for the drama club!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!"

Selphie and Tidus stared at Kairi as though she'd lost her mind.

"There's no need to yell," Tidus said curtly, narrowing his eyes. "We're not deaf."

"Honestly, Kairi. You're disrupting the class," Selphie hissed, pointing at the shocked, yet mildly interested students staring at the three of them.

Kairi felt an intense headache coming on. Thankfully, that's when the teacher chose to enter to begin the lesson so Tidus and Selphie were forced to take their respective seats – right next to one another – or risk having to serve detention.

Alone. Together. _Not_ good.

And as the class was lost in a whirlpool of Pythagorean Theorems and triangles and SOCATOA and all the other complex terms usually associated with Trigonometry, Kairi rested her head on her desk and looked from one tense teen to the other.

Selphie was bent over her notebook, scribbling furiously and giving Tidus annoyed glares every once in awhile.

Tidus was busy constructing a football out of a piece of notebook paper, blatantly ignoring Selphie and her glares.

Kairi found herself longing for Sora's company. At least he had sense. Well, when Riku wasn't around, anyway.

She sat up straight in her seat. But, no. Sora didn't care about her anymore. He'd rather blindly throw himself at some boy he barely knew, rather than listen to the sage advice of his best friend. Which was okay, because Kairi was a pure, angelic person. She would never say 'I told you so,' not even when Riku eventually broke Sora's heart and left them shattered on the street.

Oh no. She would merely pick up the shattered pieces and glue them back together, one by one. Because that was what good friends did.

Good friends did not beat up their female best friends for merely suggesting they cool it with the human personification of a sex god.

Sora was not a good friend. She would just have to accept that. And she did. But she was his best friend whether he liked it or not, dammit, and he was going to let her take care of him when the time came.

And it would.

"Kairi," whispered a voice from in front of her and, since she sat directly behind Tidus, she had to assume that was him.

"Hm?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you need to practice your _internal_ monologue? I can hear every word you're saying," Tidus continued, tossing his football at her forehead without turning around.

Kairi blinked at the intricately folded paper and picked it up, staring at it. Sora used to be fond of trying to teach her how to play football with nothing but the little piece of paper and their hands. She'd never been very good at it.

"Tidus," Kairi called quietly, her fingers closing around the paper. The blonde turned slightly in his seat to show he was listening. Kairi looked down. "Tomorrow at lunch… will you teach me how to play with this?"

There was a period of silence before he shrugged. "Whatever."

Kairi smiled.

**Translation:** Yes.

**-**

"There are laws against people like you," Sora said good-naturedly as he picked his backpack up off the floor and slipped it onto his back. That being done, he was suddenly trapped between the wall and Riku's very warm body. "Laws and movie ratings."

"Are you saying I'm not appropriate for children under the age of thirteen?" Riku asked, nipping playfully at Sora's ear.

"I'm talking NC-17," Sora responded, giggling and wrapping his arms around Riku's neck. If they continued on like this, they would be late for school, he was sure. And there was no way his mother would let him skip school again.

But. He wasn't sore anymore.

Riku raised an amused eyebrow. "I'm rated NC-17, hm? Well then. I should definitely live up to my rating." And then his hands were in Sora's jeans and little balls of white lights were exploding behind Sora's eyes.

"Oi! Boys! School, remember?" Seiya called, knocking on the bedroom door. "Get out of this house and go to school and grope each other _there_!"

"Alright, alright," Riku said reluctantly, pulling his hands out of Sora's jeans and re-zipping them. He looked at Sora intently. "But _do_ know that I intend to have you some time before homeroom. And twice during lunch."

"Got it," Sora responded, cheeks bright, bright red.

Riku opened the bedroom door and allowed Sora to walk ahead of him although, Sora quickly discovered, this gentlemanly move was only because Riku wanted to grope his denim-clad ass.

Seiya shook her head. "Boys these days. So young and full of raging hormones." She simpered. "I just remembered. I'll never have grandchildren. Riku, can't you just let Sora, oh I don't know, impregnate Kairi on the side just so I can have _one_?"

Sora looked horrified. "Mom. _Ew_."

"I'm afraid that if Sora ever attempted to sleep with Kairi, he'd be castrated and she'd be mysteriously asphyxiated in her bed. You know. _Mysteriously_," Riku said with a cough. "Anyway, we're going to be late for pre-homeroom."

"Pre-homeroom?" Seiya asked, smirking. "You sure you don't mean, pre-homeroom sex?"

Sora's look changed from horrified to mortified. "Mom—"

Seiya held up a familiar box. "Condom?"

"Got one. Or two. Or ten. Bye, Mrs. Harada." Riku smiled brightly and ushered Sora down the stairs and out the front door before the cherry red brunette could even formulate a proper reply.

He was still stammering incoherently as they entered the school building and Riku steered him gently towards his locker. Riku had no need to go to his since he wrote all his notes for every class in the same notebook and they never really needed their textbooks anyway, but Sora, he'd noticed, always insisted upon bringing his with him.

Sora blinked rapidly, then seemed to realize where they were and gave Riku an apprehensive look. "T-ten?"

"Well, we have to be _prepared_ and all. I know how insatiable you are," Riku said innocently, trying to hide his amused grin.

Sora squeaked an undignified reply and opened his locker, stuffing the books he would need into his backpack.

"Hey, isn't that Kairi? With Tidus?"

Sora looked up, glancing in the direction Riku was pointing in. And, indeed, Kairi and Tidus were standing outside first period English, in deep discussion. Well, Kairi was discussing. Tidus looked much like he wanted to slit someone's throat.

"…Since when are Selphie and Irvine dating?" Riku piped up again.

Sora looked in the direction Tidus was glaring and realized that the girl Irvine Kinneas had pinned to the wall was, in fact, Selphie.

Wow.

"Miss two days of school and this is what happens," Sora muttered as he pushed his locker closed. Although, if he was talking to Kairi—which he wasn't—he would have been all caught up on the latest gossip, as well as whatever they'd been talking about in class.

He suddenly found himself really wishing he'd just believed Kairi, just so they could still be talking.

Then Riku's lips were suddenly on his and Sora banished that thought from his mind with a flaming stick. Riku pulled away, smiling fondly. "Sorry. But you looked so cute, being all serious and thoughtful."

"Eheh. Thanks?"

Riku kissed him again. Sora tangled his fingers in Riku's hair and let himself fall backwards until his back was pressed up against the lockers—and, Riku was right, they _did_ provide good leverage—and drowned in the kiss.

Riku pulled away, breathing heavily, and grabbed Sora's wrist. "Empty classroom. Now."

**-**

_Oh, look._ Kairi said mentally. _Riku and Sora have finally decided to grace the school with their presence._

She would have said it aloud for conversational purposes, but she recognized that glow that Sora was giving off. That distinctly un-virginal glow. Oh yes. Sora and Riku had not been playing Parcheesi in the two days they were out.

Well, unless Parcheesi was the new hip word for sex. And, judging by how quickly Riku was heading into a nearby classroom and slamming the door, they were about to indulge themselves again.

There was no way Kairi was pointing it out to Tidus. Because she knew that the instant Tidus found out that Sora was… impure, then he'd want to collect a certain video tape that had to exist because Selphie was a generally reliable source.

And then…

Well. Okay, Kairi had no idea what Tidus planned to do with the video tape, but it was going to be bad. And she would figure it out. Eventually.

Thankfully, Tidus' attention wasn't on her—and never had been. He was more preoccupied with the face-sucking session going on a few feet in front of him. His mouth was curved into a thin line and he practically radiated jealousy.

Kairi took a giant step to the side. Jealous men tended to be very irrational and also tended to do stupid things. And he'd already stolen her first kiss and there was no way she was going to play sex toy for some Sora-obsessed, can't-make-up-his-mind, if-I-can't-have-her-then-neither-can-Irvine asshole.

"Are you ever going to get over them?" she asked from a safe distance.

Tidus turned his death glare on her. "What are you talking about? I _am_ over them. It's just… the indecency of what they're doing… and where's the principal when you need him? Isn't it his job to break up stuff like this?"

_If that were true, _this_ wouldn't be the act he'd be concerned with,_ Kairi thought, her eyes darting towards the door of the occupied empty classroom.

"I suppose it is," she said in a noncommittal voice.

Tidus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, Kairi?"

"Mhmm?"

"Who's that girl? The one who's the head of the drama club? Who had that crush on me a month ago?"

"Erm… Yuna Ananda?"

"Yuna. Right. Where would she be right now?"

Kairi stared at Tidus wide-eyed. "No. No way. You're not possibly thinking—"

"Thinking what?" Tidus asked innocently. "I'm just asking where I can find Yuna. Or, if you prefer, I could go for her blond cousin. What's _her_ name? The perky one? Rikku?"

"I am going to _kick_ you," Kairi threatened, shaking a fist, "if you dare use either of those girls to make Selphie jealous!"

"Well, why not? She's using Irvine for the same reason!"

"No, she's not! Is it so weird that she might actually _like_ Irvine?"

Tidus looked offended. "Why like him when there's me?"

"THERE'S NOT YOU, YOU MORON! YOU DUMPED HER IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY AND NOW SHE HAS MOVED ON AND YOU SHOULD, TOO!" Kairi's foot connected with the soles of Tidus' Nikes. "Argh, you're so annoying! And self-centered! And—and—homeroom's starting! _Move_ it."

Tidus barely had time to blink before she shoved him into their homeroom and pushed him into his seat and found hers on the opposite side of the room.

Selphie walked into the classroom, looking annoyingly fulfilled. She turned and blew a kiss to someone in the hallway. "See you later, Irvy."

Tidus watched her flounce into the seat in front of him with barely suppressed rage.

Irvy? _IRVY!_

"Selphie?" Tidus whispered in his most casual voice. "You know that girl? Yuna?"

Selphie tensed in her seat. "What about her?"

"What do you think about her?"

"Why do you care what I think?"

"I know thinking is a hard task for you, but…"

"I think she's fine. Very nice. And mature. Now, leave me alone."

"What about her cousin, Rikku?"

"What about her?"

"What do you think about her?"

"WHY DO YOU CARE!" Selphie asked, turning around in her seat, eyes narrowed.

Tidus blinked, looking confused. "What? I can't ask questions anymore?"

Selphie deflated and turned back around. "I think she's kind of irritatingly bubbly, okay? What _about_ her?"

Tidus sat back in his seat, satisfied. "We're dating."

**-**

Riku and Sora were late for homeroom. In fact, they missed it entirely. It wasn't until mid-way through first period that they arrived at their designated classes, and even then, their teacher had taken one look at them, flushed, and told them to take their seats in a high-pitched squeaky voice.

Sora assumed it had something to do with the fact that his shirt was on backwards and his pants were still unzipped.

Or the fact that Riku was stuffing a used condom wrapper into his backpack.

Either way, Sora flushed and sat in the second-to-last row, hiding his face behind his books. Riku sat behind him, chuckling deviously under his breath.

"My report card is going to suck because of you," Sora whispered, not taking his eyes off the board.

"Right. The way I see it, now you can get your _Fs_ without putting any real effort in." Riku whispered back, amusement lacing his tone.

Sora opened his mouth to say that he worked hard for those Fs and that Riku should shut up before Sora did bad things to him, but then Riku's tongue brushed along the sensitive skin behind his ear and he forgot how to breathe.

Satisfied, Riku sat back in his seat. "Lunch time?"

Sora could do little more than nod.

**-**

"I'm dating who with what now?" Rikku asked blankly. The cheery blonde had been quite absorbed in her student council activities. Yuna had put her in charge of selling tickets for the spring dance and she didn't want to disappoint.

However, news spread fast at the school and now everybody was whispering about the latest IT couple – Rikku and Tidus.

Apparently, no one had thought to inform _Rikku_ that she was in a relationship, let alone with an extremely popular guy.

Yuna raised an eyebrow. "Well, everybody's talking about it, so I thought I'd get confirmation from you first. Are you dating Tidus Mihada or not?"

Do I _look_ stupid? Rikku wanted to ask. She knew all about Yuna's year-long crush on Tidus. There was no way she was coming between that. Yuna wasn't just her cousin; she was her best friend. Rikku wasn't going to screw that up over some moderately attractive blond boy she didn't know very much about.

Rikku opened her mouth to express these thoughts out loud, but then a hand wrapped around her wrist and she was forcibly dragged into a nearby empty classroom. She turned and blinked.

"Uh… despite whatever you may have heard, I don't look at you that way," Rikku said immediately, folding her arms.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "I know that. Thing is, I kind of need you—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rikku interrupted, waving her arms. "This is really sudden, ya know? And, we barely know each other! I don't think it would be appropriate for us to engage in any such activities until a time when… when… well, at least a first date…"

Tidus stared at her. "You're insane, aren't you?"

"_No_," Rikku said, looking insulted. "Who told you that?"

Tidus shook his head, grinning despite himself. "No one. Listen, I meant I need you to do me a favor. A really big one." He expected more protests, but when none came, he continued hesitantly. "Well, you know Selphie Tillmet?"

"…Yes.," Rikku answered, folding her arms behind her head and giving him a thoughtful look. "Brunette? Usually cheerful? Doesn't like me? Dating you?"

"You got everything but that last part right. We broke up," Tidus explained quickly. "And now she's hanging off the arm of Irvine Kinneas, trying to make me jealous—"

"So you want to use me to make her jealous?" Rikku finished for him. "And exactly what's in this for me?"

Tidus blanched. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "Uh…"

Rikku held up two fingers. "Two conditions. One – you let me tell my cousin Yunie what's really going on between us. Two – you take her out on a date. She likes you, ya know."

"Sounds fair," Tidus replied, hoping that Yuna wouldn't be a total waste of an afternoon. He held out his hand. "Deal."

Rikku shook it. "Deal! So… Tidy," she said experimentally, wrinkling her nose. "This is weird."

Tidus tried not to twitch at the familiar nickname. "A deal's a deal."

"Yeah, yeah. See you at lunch, _boyfriend_," Rikku stated with a bright grin, flouncing out the door to talk to Yuna.

Tidus watched her go, trying not to think of how much she reminded him of Selphie. Or that he had a date with a girl he didn't know, but who had a crush on him. As if his life wasn't complicated enough.

"I wonder how long it'll take Kairi to find out about this…" Tidus muttered offhand, leaving the classroom as well.

**-**

Yuffie blinked as she stared at the two silent boys at the lunch table. "Okay, what happened?"

Leon was busy eating whatever it was on his plate, without even looking at it. A first. Cloud was busy reading a book. Another first.

Even Wakka, who had just arrived at the table after Yuffie, was shocked. "What's going on with them, ya?"

"I… think they had a lover's spat," Yuffie replied uncertainly. "But I'm not too sure, because they're always this quiet."

Wakka nodded his head in agreement and sat down next to Cloud, while Yuffie slid into the seat next to Leon. Wakka looked around. "Where's Tidus?"

"Who knows? He hasn't sat with us in days," Yuffie responded with a snort. "He's been hanging around with that Kairi girl and spying on Sora. I mean, I thought we were all in this together. I want to help. It's something to do. I bet he isn't even taking advantage of the fact that Kairi's the group slave."

"It wasn't even his idea to get back at Sora," Wakka said, pushing the brown goop around on his plate. "I'm not sure if the plan has changed or what."

"It hasn't," Leon spoke up, his first words all day. "Tidus is waiting for Riku to deliver the goods. He tried to back out, but we blackmailed him into it. Don't worry so much."

Yuffie pouted. "Well, you guys could at least let us in on everything once in awhile. This is my single source of entertainment."

"You need to find yourself a man," Cloud chipped in, turning a page in his book. "That's seriously pathetic."

Yuffie rolled her eyes and rested her head on the table. "So. I heard Tidus and Rikku Kudo are dating?"

"I heard that, too," Wakka said, continuing in his quest to make a giant mountain out of what was supposed to be beef stew. "I think he's on the rebound. I mean, Rikku and Selphie are a lot alike, aren't they?"

Leon snorted. "Except Rikku gets good grades and is on the Student Council and Selphie… well, doesn't and isn't. And _she's_ dating Irvine Kinneas, who's just as bad."

Yuffie and Wakka stared at Leon incredulously. Since when did _he_ keep up with the school gossip?

Leon noticed their stares and scowled. "They make out everywhere. It's impossible not to notice."

"Uh huh," Yuffie said disbelievingly, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, while I do think they were cuter together, they can date whoever they want to date. It's none of _my_ business."

Leon and Cloud snorted simultaneously.

Yuffie pouted again. "Shut _up_."

**-**

"This is the teachers' lounge."

"I'm _aware_ this is the teachers' lounge."

"We're not supposed to _be_ in the teachers' lounge."

"I'm aware of that, too."

"Then _why_ are we in the teachers' lounge?"

"Because I'm horny and this was closer than the storage closet on the second floor."

Sora turned and eyed his boyfriend warily. "We'll get detention if we get caught."

"We'd get detention if we were caught anywhere, considering that the school insists we practice abstinence." Riku shuddered at the very word. "Anyway, I came in here for a reason."

Sora gave up and trudged over to the table, beginning to clear it off. He wrinkled his nose. The teachers ate and worked on this table they were about to defile. Then again, Sora didn't like most of his teachers.

Riku hoisted himself onto the desk and yawned, brushing his hair out of his face. "So. Kairi."

Sora frowned. "You want to talk about Kairi _now_?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Riku responded. "This relationship is not all about sex, you know. I might actually care about more than seeing you naked."

Sora blushed and hoisted himself up onto the desk, too, taking Riku's hand and intertwining their fingers. "So, what about Kairi?"

"Have you made up with her yet?" Riku asked, swinging their hands back and forth slightly. Sora stared down at their conjoined hands without speaking for a moment. Then he raised an eyebrow.

"You've been with me every day since the fight. Do you _think_ we've made up?"

Riku leaned down and kissed Sora's forehead. "You should. I don't know what you were fighting about, but you guys were really good friends."

Sora let go of Riku's hand and scooted into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around Riku's abdomen. He sighed. "She was trying to break us up."

"Oh," Riku said unemotionally.

"She kept saying that you were going to break my heart and make some kind of video tape and all kinds of stupid stuff."

"_Oh_."

Sora looked up at Riku, eyes bright. "But you aren't, right? She was lying, wasn't she? You wouldn't… you wouldn't do that to me."

"I…" Riku shifted uncomfortably and stared at a nearby coffee maker rather than at Sora. "I wouldn't."

Sora smiled, satisfied. "I know. Anyway, that's why I'm not talking to her. Because she said those lies about you. It's unforgivable." He made a face. "I _hate_ being lied to."

Riku felt a warm wave of shame washing over him. He swallowed. "I-I think you should forgive her. Just this once."

Sora wrinkled his nose. "But—"

"Do it. For me?"

"Okay," the brunette agreed immediately. "But only because you forgave her first."

Riku smiled faintly and hugged Sora the slightest bit tighter. He didn't much feel like Doing It on the teachers' lounge table like he had originally planned, but he certainly didn't feel like going to lunch. The longer he avoided the Populars, the longer it would be until he had to fork over the tape.

Sora was going to _hate_ him.

Fingers forced their way into his mouth at the corners and stretched his lips into a smile. "You look way too sad for somebody who's skipping lunch to cuddle with their boyfriend."

Riku pushed Sora hands away and laughed, leaning his head down to press a rare chaste kiss on Sora's lips. Sora grinned and pushed him back onto the table, straddling Riku's hips and pinning his wrists above his head.

"Who says _you_ have to be seme all the time?" Sora asked, smirking.

Riku blinked, but made no move to get up. "Um, the height rule? The age rule? The experience rule? The sexiness rule?"

Sora bit Riku's neck gently as punishment. "There _is_ no sexiness rule!"

"There should be," Riku replied, trying to keep his cool. "Either way, it all adds up to _me_ being the one to take advantage of _you_."

"Huh. And yet _I'm_ the one pinning _you_ to a table. Funny how that all works out." Sora leaned down and kissed Riku fiercely and, when he pulled away, they were both breathless. His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Hey, Riku?"

Riku took a deep breath to try and regain his composure, but it was _extremely_ hard to do with Sora shifting on top of him like that. "Y-yes?"

"Where are you most sensitive?"

_You're sitting on it,_ Riku thought with a slightly cocky smirk. "Uh… I don't know. Nobody's ever taken the time to find out before."

Sora glanced at the clock on the wall. Twenty minutes.

_Plenty_ of time.

-

A kick on the shins nearly sent Tidus stumbling forward. He didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Instead, he let go of Rikku's hand and pressed the hand to his temple. "Hi, Kairi."

The redhead glared daggers at him. "You bastard."

"Hey! Don't talk about my Tidy that way!" Rikku protested, eyeing Kairi disdainfully. "And what's with the kicking? He could have been injured."

Kairi turned her glare on Rikku. "'Your' Tidy? He is _not_ 'your' Tidy!"

Rikku looked confused. "I'm sorry… did _you_ want him, too?"

Tidus hid his laughter in a coughing fit while Kairi turned red and sputtered for a moment, blinking rapidly.

Unable to understand the violent reaction she'd caused, Rikku furrowed her brow and looked at Tidus. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh no," Tidus said with a snicker. "You didn't say anything wrong. Kairi just hasn't come to grips with her attraction to me yet, is all. She's still blissfully in denial."

Kairi kicked him again, then grabbed Rikku's arm and tugged the girl a safe distance away. Rikku smiled in amusement.

"You're funny," she said, pushing a blond bang out of her face. "Are you always this overprotective of him?"

Kairi glowered. "Do you always let yourself get used like that?"

"Only when it benefits me in some way." Rikku responded, glancing over at Tidus. "I sway my hips and act like I'm totally head-over-heels and he gives Yunie what she's been wanting for months. It all works out."

"But he's in love with Selphie!"

"Yeah, and if making her jealous helps her see that, then all the better, right?" Rikku sighed. "Listen, I don't know you and you don't know me. I don't know Tidus or Selphie either. But I do know that the two of them… they've got something really complicated going on and if I'm helping to fix it, then I have no regrets. Can I go to lunch now?"

Kairi sighed as well. "What if you make it worse?"

"Then I'll fix it."

Rikku looked so serious about it that Kairi couldn't help but believe her. The redhead smiled slightly. "Okay, I trust you. But, for future reference, I _don't_ want Tidus. We're just friends… in a manner of speaking."

"Got it. _Now_ can I go to lunch?"

Kairi laughed and waved a hand dismissively. Rikku saluted her and ran back to Tidus' side, holding his hand again as they headed towards the cafeteria.

_She's alright_, Kairi thought. _But Tidus is still an asshole._

**-**

Selphie was in a bad mood. An extremely bad mood. The kind of mood that made small children cry and ripped the wings off butterflies.

Sure, she was sitting in the lap of _the_ Irvine Kinneas and, sure, he was trailing kisses along her collarbone. But she wasn't paying attention to that. Her mind was elsewhere.

Since when were Rikku and Tidus dating? Had Tidus just been pulling her leg, trying to see how she'd react? Although, she hadn't been able to keep her big mouth shut and now it was all over school. Not to mention she hadn't seen Tidus since that morning.

Were the rumors true or not? And if they were true, why Rikku? Tidus knew Selphie couldn't stand her!

"Babe, you seem tense," Irvine murmured from somewhere near her jaw. "Relax."

How could she relax when her ex-boyfriend had replaced her with some cheap, blond bimbo-esque knock-off?

She sighed. "I'm trying, but it's not working very well."

Her eyes flew to the cafeteria door as two people suddenly entered. Two very familiar people. Two very familiar who were holding hands and smiling and whispering and laughing and—

Rikku. Must. _Die_.

Selphie watched the couple make their way over to an empty table by the window, still speaking in hushed tones and laughing every so often, then watched as Kairi entered the cafeteria and sat down with them.

She seemed comfortable with this. As if she'd known about it. As if it'd been going on for a long time.

Kairi. Must. _Die_.

If Selphie was unable to relax before, she _definitely_ couldn't now. If anything, her only thoughts involved two of her fellow schoolmates and a variety of deadly weapons under her control. Too bad, for some strange reason, murder was illegal in Japan.

She watched in irritation as Rikku pulled a piece of paper out of her backpack and folded it into a football, then handed it to Tidus, who seemed to be saying something to Kairi.

And Irvine's hand was up her shirt again. Selphie impatiently batted it away and scooted out of his lap. "I'm not in the mood right now."

"You'd rather glare daggers at your ex-boyfriend and company, even though they're not even looking in your direction?" Irvine asked, genuinely curious.

Selphie scowled. "_Yes_."

"To each his own." Irvine relented and turned to actually finishing his lunch rather than groping his girlfriend. Selphie ignored him in favor of watching Kairi try, unsuccessfully, to flick the football over the goalpost Tidus was making with his fingers.

This was not how it was supposed to go. Tidus was supposed to be burning with rage over the fact that she was now unavailable, that she wasn't pining over him anymore, and that she had moved on. He was supposed to be feeling even a small portion of the pain she'd gone through over the past few weeks.

And, considering Tidus hated Irvine due to Selphie once saying he was sexy about three months into their relationship, she'd figured Irvine was the perfect guy with which to make Tidus pay. Besides, she could enjoy herself in the mean time since Irvine was rumored to be – and was, in reality - a very, very good kisser.

Tidus was not supposed to be looking like Miss Mary Sunshine, playing paper football with his new girlfriend and his… friend? Well, whatever Kairi was.

It just wasn't fair.

Depressed, she sculpted her mashed potatoes into a mountain and sighed.

She blinked as a hand slid into hers and gave Irvine a confused look.

"Don't worry about it. He doesn't know what he's missing," the blonde said, releasing her hand and going back to his food.

Selphie smiled, feeling marginally better. Tidus didn't know what he was missing. And she was sick and tired of trying to show him.

-

A few minutes after the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, two boys snuck out of the teachers' lounge. The shorter of the two looked very smug while the taller just looked exasperated.

"I got to be on top… I got to be on top… and you liked it…" Sora said in a sing-songy voice, the smug look increasing. "You looked so cute all flushed like that—"

"First of all, you were the one flushed and panting. Second of all, you were still bottomed, even if you were on top. Third of all," a smirk spread on Riku's face, "we have gym next. You think they'll let us use the same shower?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, like I would really let you traumatize a locker room full of boys like that."

"You'd enjoy it," Riku protested devilishly.

"_They_ wouldn't," Sora said flatly. "We're not doing anything in the shower. At all. We're going to use separate showers like the other nice straight guys and then you can grope me all you want when we're playing touch football. But only if we're on opposite teams."

Riku tried his best not to look sulky. "Yes, sir." He blinked for a moment. "Oh, hey, wait, remember what we agreed on!"

Sora gave him a blank look.

"I 'give you a ride', you mend things with Kairi. You _promised_."

"That was unfair! You asked me while you were… and I was… there were extenuating circumstances!"

"A deal's a deal. You promised," Riku insisted. "And if you don't, I'll never fuck you again."

Sora stared.

Riku smirked and relented. "…Well, only on Wednesdays… and Thursdays… and all the other days ending in a Y…"

Rolling his eyes, Sora turned and headed down the hallway, on his way to the gymnasium. "Fine. Next time I see her, I'll—oof."

"Will the wonders never cease? Hello, _Kairi_," Riku said, reaching out an arm to keep Sora from stumbling and falling. "What a pleasure to see you this beautiful afternoon."

"And where have you two been all day?" Kairi asked flatly, gathering her books. "And for the last two days? Sora's been nice and deflowered on camera by now, hasn't he?"

Sora scowled and opened his mouth, presumably to tell Kairi off, but Riku's hand covered his mouth and prevented him from doing so.

The white-haired boy smiled patiently. "Well. Sora's been deflowered, at least."

"Congratulations. And I'm late for History, so—"

Riku gave Sora a meaningful look and removed his hand, jogging ahead to tell the gym teacher that Sora would be a little bit late(er) to class.

Sora watched him go for a moment, then sighed, looking back at his ex-best friend. She was busy brushing invisible dirt off the ends of her skirt. He sighed again.

"Look, Kairi—"

Kairi put up her hand. "Save it. We obviously don't see eye to eye where Riku is concerned, so why even bother?" She shook her head sadly. "I don't even feel like I know you anymore. I mean, you tried to beat up a _girl_."

Sora flushed. "You tried to beat me up first!"

"Did not."

"Did too! You tackled me!"

"Because you threatened to tell about my dream!"

"Because _you_ threatened to tell about my embarrassing childhood!"

"That's only because you were being a snothead!"

"Snothead? Oh, wow, that's mature."

"What do you know about being mature, Sora?"

"One word. Deflowered."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Wow. I'm _so_ impressed. You lost your virginity to a PORN FILM MAKER!"

"A porn film maker who's forcing me to make things right between us!" Sora snapped. He paused a moment. "Wait. HE IS _NOT_ A PORN FILM MAKER!"

"As much as I'd like to continue this stimulating conversation, I'm extremely late for class. Have fun with your porn star boyfriend."

Sora scowled. "_You_ have fun with your relationship screw-up of a best friend. Let's see how long it takes Tidus to make _you_ cry."

"And how long it takes Riku to make you do the same thing," Kairi hissed back, none too kindly. "_Goodbye_, Sora."

Sora watched her storm off indignantly, a frown on his face. He knew exactly what she was going to do now. She'd seethe quietly for a few hours, refusing to talk about it, then finally come clean over a pint of ice cream – preferably from Baskin Robbins. Then she'd feel guilty for the way she acted, whether the fight was her fault or not, but never guilty enough to actually apologize.

He sighed and started heading towards his own class, feeling a sudden urge for Baskin Robbins ice cream.

-

"So. About your date with Yunie," Rikku said as she flipped through her history textbook. The teacher had disappeared behind a newspaper after giving them an assignment to pair up into groups of three and pick one interesting fact about the American Revolution.

Kairi wasn't being much help. She hadn't done anything more than growl and grunt ever since she'd entered the room, so it was up to Rikku and Tidus to find a fact. Luckily for them, Rikku was acing the class.

Tidus tried to look more excited than he felt. "Can't wait."

"Well, you don't have to," Rikku replied. "I'm throwing a house party on Saturday night since my parents are gone for the month. You can take Yunie to it."

Curious despite himself, Tidus raised an eyebrow. "Your parents are gone for the _month_?"

"Yeah. They're archaeologists and they're off on expedition again," Rikku explained, shrugging. "They always leave for long periods at a time and they're barely ever home. Whenever I get too bored or lonely, I throw a party and Yunie helps me clean up afterwards."

"Oh. Where have they gone to this time?"

"Egypt. They want to go check out the pyramids and stuff." Rikku chewed the end of her pen thoughtfully, her bright green eyes searching the page. "I went to Egypt when I was nine. They couldn't get a nanny in time and I was too young to stay by myself. It was really hot there, but I got to bring back a whole bunch of stuff. I keep them in my room."

Tidus propped his head up with his arm, smiling. "Well, maybe I can check them out some time."

Rikku raised an eyebrow. "Last time I checked, this was a _fake_ relationship."

Even Kairi had to snicker at that.

Tidus flushed. "That was _not_ what I meant. I meant that maybe you could show me the Egyptian stuff. Not, you know, your bedroom. I wasn't even thinking that way."

"Of course you weren't. Now, how about the fact that the revolutionists dressed up as Indians to dump tea in the Harbor during the Boston Tea Party. That's pretty interesting." Rikku pointed at the page in the textbook. She blinked, then looked at Kairi. "Oh! Excuse my rudeness. You can come to the house party, too."

Kairi scooted her seat forward and smiled a bit. "Sure, okay. I don't have anything better to do, anyway. Maybe I'll even stay after and help you clean up."

"If you want," Rikku said with a shrug as Tidus copied down the fact into his notebook. "Yunie and I can handle it though.

"I'll stay after, too," the blonde volunteered. "It might be fun."

Rikku laughed. "When is cleaning ever fun? But, it'll take less time if we all help out, I guess." She jotted down the fact into her notebook and passed the textbook to Kairi. "So, what had you so upset earlier?"

Kairi scowled. "Got in a fight with someone I used to know. No big deal."

"If it was no big deal, you wouldn't have been in a bad mood for twenty-five minutes afterwards," Rikku pointed out. She winced at Kairi's glare. "_Sheesh_. Sorry I asked."

Tidus mouthed 'PMS' in Rikku's direction, whistling innocently when Kairi turned her death glare on him. Rikku bit her lip to keep from laughing and looked down at the desk.

Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, Kairi fixed violet eyes on Rikku. "So, who else is coming to your house party?"

"Who _isn't_?" Rikku countered with a laugh. "Everybody always comes, whether I know them or not. Freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, even people from other schools. They just all know my ground rules – if they break something, I release the asp I keep in my basement."

Kairi and Tidus stared.

"Okay, I don't _really_ keep an asp in my basement. It's really just a garden snake. But they don't know that."

The staring continued.

Rikku frowned. "_What_?"

"Oh, nothing," Kairi said with a cough, averting her eyes.

Rikku shrugged. "Anyway, I told Yuna you're taking her to the house party so you're taking her to the house party. That's okay, right?"

"What does it matter? I don't have a choice do I?" Tidus asked, resting his head on the desk.

"Well, no, but if you don't want to take her to the house party, you don't have to. You could always take her somewhere more private. I mean, that part's up to you," Rikku clarified, twirling her pen around in her hands. "I'm not totally heartless."

"Unlike some people."

Tidus ignored the pointed glare he was getting. "Shut up, Kairi."

"Yeah, whatever," Kairi replied, muttering 'bastard' under her breath.

-

"Let's play a game," Cloud said, turning around in his seat. They were in Trigonometry, but their teacher had gotten an urgent phone call and had dashed off to the office, leaving the class to their own devices.

Leon, who had engrossed himself in tapping his pencil against his notebook, raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because _I_ want to play a game," Cloud replied as if it should have been obvious.

Leon scowled at him. "Well, _I_ don't."

"Too bad." Cloud rested his elbows on Leon's desk and rested his head on his hands. "This game is called Word Association. It's supposed to be very telling. All psychiatric and shit."

"Fascinating."

"Anyway, I say a word, and you say the first word that comes to mind. Usually, an evaluation would follow the game, but I'm your boyfriend, not your psychiatrist."

Leon snorted.

"Ready?" Cloud didn't bother to wait for an answer. "Okay, er… telephone."

Silence.

"Basketball?"

Silence.

"Window?"

Silence.

"LEON!"

Silence.

Cloud glared. "If you don't play, I'll… I'll… I'll…"

"Finish a sentence?" Leon suggested with a the slightest hint of a smile on his face. Cloud decided to resort to extreme tactics.

Leon blanched as Cloud's eyes suddenly became wide and watery.

"Please, Leon… think of how it could benefit our relationship… and it's just a game… I mean, you love me, right?"

When Leon hesitated to answer, little tears gathered in the corners of Cloud's eyes.

Damn.

"Fine. I'll play your stupid game," Leon said flatly, scowling again. Cloud's tears instantly dried up and he beamed.

"Good. Now. Telephone?"

"Nuisance."

"Violence?"

"Fun."

"Sex."

"Cloud."

Cloud smirked. "Sex _with_ Cloud?"

The glare on Leon's face forced him to move on.

"Okay, uh, problem?"

"Meditation."

"Communication."

"Headache."

Cloud imitated a buzzer. "The correct answer was 'the key to a healthy relationship', but thanks for playing."

"I didn't know you could have a wrong answer in Word Association," Leon said flatly. "And what was your point, anyway?"

"There was no point. I was just bored." Cloud ducked the pencil Leon threw at him and rolled his eyes. "God, you're so violent. I feel sorry for your future husband—oh, wait, that's me."

Leon blinked blankly. "…You're my future husband…?" he echoed in confusion.

"Well. Yeah." Cloud gave Leon a 'duh' look. "Were you planning on marrying somebody else?"

"…No…" Leon said, still sounding confused. He really hadn't been thinking about marriage at all. His main focus over the last few days had been how to ask Cloud whether their relationship meant more than tons of, albeit good, sex.

He didn't know Cloud had been thinking so far ahead. The thought was kind of… warming.

"Oh my god," Cloud suddenly whispered. "Oh my god. We're all going to die. Leon is _smiling_. And in _public_."

Leon put a hand to his mouth and blinked. He _was_ smiling. He quickly frowned before anyone noticed and raised an eyebrow at Cloud's relieved look.

"Idiot," he muttered with a hint of affection.

Cloud smiled. "But I'm _your_ idiot."

True. Very true.

The teacher returned to the classroom, making her embarrassed apologies and drowning the class in equations and triangles.

Cloud glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Going to that house party on Saturday?"

"Are you?" Leon whispered back, keeping his eye on the teacher.

"Well, Tidus is going. Yuffie and Wakka are going. Aerith's going. It might be fun."

Leon shrugged. "So we'll go. Not like we have anything else to do."

"Cool."

That decided, Cloud gave Leon a small grin and turned back to the lesson that he hadn't been paying attention to.

-

Sora tried valiantly to ignore the boy currently suckling his earlobe. It was a very hard task indeed. He and Riku were at Sora's house, curled up on the couch, watching Scary Movie 3. Well, _Sora_ was watching. Riku's mind was elsewhere.

_"Have you heard about this videotape?"_

_"The one where they do it on the boat and then in the car and then in the bathtub?__ And he's like, "Hey, baby, I love you" and she's like "Where are we?" And did you see the size of his...?"_

_"No. Not that tape."_

"I think I've seen _that_ tape," Riku murmured, dipping his head down lower and swirling his tongue along Sora's collarbone. The brunette tensed up, shifting on Riku's lap and whimpering.

"Ri-_ku_, I love this movie," Sora protested, his breath hitching as Riku's hand slid under his shirt and ran over his stomach. "I'd like to watch it, please."

Riku ignored him in favor of pulling Sora closer and pressing feather light kisses along the side of his face. Sora would have relaxed, had Riku's free hand not slipped into his shorts.

He jumped up. "Riku! The movie! Would it hurt to actually watch a movie for once?"

"It'd hurt my pride," Riku said in a defeated voice. "And my libido."

Sora rolled his eyes and stomped over to the other side of the couch, sitting down and drawing his limbs as far away from Riku as possible. He turned his head back to the movie resolutely.

_"I'm looking for something more than just good sex."_

_"I know. You want commitment."_

_"No, I want great sex."_

"Me, too, Blondie," Riku muttered, giving Sora a wistful look. The brunette pointedly ignored him. "Do we have to watch this? You've already seen it thirteen times."

"I—" Sora looked confused. "How did you know that?"

Riku stuck out his tongue and looked at the television, ignoring Sora completely. Sora puffed up his cheeks indignantly, narrowing his eyes at Riku. How dare Riku use his own weapon against him! It was just plain cruel!

A grin spread on Sora's face. Two could play that game.

"Ri-_ku_," Sora said in his most sultry voice, scooting over to Riku's side of the couch and tracing patterns on Riku's thigh. "Why're you ignoring me, Riku? Don't you want to… _play_?"

Riku gave Sora a glare, but it was obviously strained. Sora tried not to grin.

"Come on, Riku. I'm ready, willing, and waiting. Don't you want to wrap me up in your big strong arms and have your way with me?"

Riku bit his lip and stared at the television, trying to keep up with the movie. An old man was on the screen talking to the blond girl. Focus on the old man and the blond girl.

_"We loved our daughter very much, but she was evil. Made the horses crazy. Killed our puppies. Hid the remote. Really sick shit. My wife took her to the old family farm and drowned her in the well. I felt a simple time-out would have been sufficient."_

"SHIT!" Riku shouted, his head snapping around to look at Sora. For someone who had a hold on a very important part of Riku's anatomy, he sure could look innocent.

"Something wrong, Ri-ku?" Sora asked sweetly. "Let's talk, hmmm?"

Riku went cross-eyed briefly. "…nnnergh…"

"How'd you know I've seen Scary Movie 3 thirteen times?" Sora asked, a smug expression on his face for the second time that day.

"Y-your mother told me…" Riku said in a strained voice, clamping his eyes shut. And then it was over. His eyes flew open to see that Sora had retreated to the other end of the couch and was now thoroughly engrossed in the movie once again.

Riku scowled. "What are you doing?"

"Um," Sora blinked in confusion. "Watching a movie?"

"All the way over there?" Riku ground out.

"Um. Yes?"

"Why?"

"Because you can't keep your hands to yourself, of course."

Riku found this to be completely unfair considering he was _not_ the one who'd been putting his boyfriend through sweet torture moments before. He clenched his teeth and growled. "Sora…"

"Hm?"

"Come here."

"…That's okay. You look like you need a nice long nap first," Sora said with a sweet smile. "I'll just be right over here with the—eep! Riku! Let go! The movie! What if Mom hears us?"

Sora's protests fell on deaf ears as Riku grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs to the bedroom, grumbling about teases and sexual frustration.

Seiya smiled happily at them as they passed her on their way to relieve Riku's current frustrations. "Have fun, boys! I'll turn up the stereo!"

"Thanks," Riku called, slamming the bedroom door shut.

-

"Hey," Sora observed two hours later as he pulled on a pair of boxers. Riku was laying stark-naked on his bed, humming something that sounded suspiciously like 'Bad Touch' by the Bloodhound Gang. "We only used up three out of ten condoms. Are you holding back or something?"

Riku smirked, rolling onto his stomach and pulling the covers up over him. "Trust me, Sora. If I were to unleash the full power of my sexual appetite on you, you would be walking bowlegged for the rest of your life."

Sora rolled his eyes. Riku never ceased to amaze him with his brash overconfidence and general love for anything relating to sex. He pulled a shirt on over his head and gave Riku an exasperated look.

Riku merely smiled. "Yes…?"

"Nothing. You're _amazing_," Sora said with another roll of his eyes.

"I know." Riku replied smugly, patting the bed next to him. "Now, come here."

"Put some clothes on and maybe I will."

Riku sighed as if the very effort would cost him his life and sat up, grabbing his previously discarded boxers and slipping into them before flopping into bed again. "Okay. So, come here."

"Fine," Sora said, knowing that was the best he was going to get. He walked over to the bed and slid beneath the sheets, smiling as the older boy's arms snaked around his waist. He allowed Riku to give him a slow kiss, then buried his face against Riku's neck. "Hey…"

"We'll use up the rest of the condoms tomorrow, Sora. Stop worrying about it."

Sora bit Riku lightly in retaliation. "_Not_ what I was going to say. I was going to ask you… what your favorite color was."

"Blue," Riku responded, running his fingers through Sora's hair.

"I'm more of a red person, myself. But blue's nice. I guess," Sora said, wrinkling his nose. "Oh, when's your birthday?"

"March 30. And, before you even ask, I'm an Aries."

Sora's cheeks turned pink. "I wasn't going to," he protested, even though he was. "Although… aren't you going to ask me…?"

"July 17. Cancer," Riku rattled off. "Go to sleep."

Sora pulled himself out of Riku's arms slightly to give the older boy an incredulous look. "How do you _know_—?"

Riku pulled him back again. "Shh. _Sleep_."

"But—"

"Shh."

"You—"

"Shh."

"Riku—"

"Sora, if you don't go to sleep, I'm going to use up the rest of those condoms right _now_ and _laugh_ at you when you try to sit down at school tomorrow."

The brunette pouted. "Excuse me for trying to get to know the guy I'm _sleeping with_ better."

"Don't you think you should have done that before the initial deflowering?" Riku yawned, closing his eyes.

"No, because then I was busy avoiding you because you wouldn't fess up to your true feelings for me! Speaking of which…" Sora looked as cute as humanly possible. "Say it."

"Ugh." Riku looked down at Sora and cupped the younger boy's face in his hands. "Sora, I love you. I did love you before, I love you now, and I will love you tomorrow when I strangle you for keeping me up all night."

His anger dissolved as Sora beamed at him in a sickeningly heartwarming way. He groaned.

"I take it back. I hate you. I hate you so much," Riku muttered as Sora leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Aww, I love you, too, my wittle Riri—oomph!" Sora's eyes narrowed as he pulled the pillow off his face and glared at Riku, who had rolled over and was now attempting to go to sleep with his back to Sora.

"Shut up and go to bed," Riku said, grabbing the pillow Sora threw back at him and putting it under his head.

Sora pouted. "That wasn't nice. We were having a moment and you had to go and ruin it."

Silence.

"Riku…?" he tried again, prodding Riku's shoulder.

Silence.

"Stop ignoring me!" Sora demanded, whacking Riku on the arm as hard as he could.

Silence.

Frustrated, Sora lay down, his arms folded, sulking. Riku was sleeping peacefully, an easy task once he'd stopped listening to Sora's babbling. Sora, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit tired. After a few long minutes of trying to sleep, Sora rolled out of bed and, shooting Riku's sleeping form one last dirty look, stomped out of the room and down to the kitchen.

Seiya was already waiting, a glass of milk in her hand. Sora gratefully took the milk from her, pleasantly surprised to see that it was already warm. He grinned. "Thanks, Mom."

"No problem. I could hear you guys talking," Seiya replied, sitting back down at the table and picking up her crossword puzzle.

Sora looked incredulous. "What have you got? A bionic ear?"

"No." Seiya tapped her pencil against a vent. "I've got air vents."

Sora sat down at the table and sipped his milk. "There's something sick – and illegal – about listening to your son have sex via air vents. Is there some deep, dark secret you're not telling me, Mom?"

"Right," Seiya said with a snort. "Trust me, if I was suddenly going to be a pedophile, I'd be hitting on Riku, not _you_."

"I didn't need to know that," Sora muttered, taking another sip. "Is _that_ why you were listening at the air vents?"

"No, I was sitting here doing a crossword puzzle when these moans and groans started up. At first I thought the house was falling down, but then I heard the squeaking of the bedsprings from upstairs and figured you two were going at it," Seiya explained. "Then the conversation started up, and once Riku started ignoring you, I knew you'd come down here for some milk."

Sora hummed in understanding. Whenever he couldn't sleep, he always went for a glass of warm milk. Whenever Seiya couldn't sleep, she did a crossword puzzle.

Which reminded him. "Hey, Mom, what are you doing up, anyway? What's wrong?"

Seiya stared pointedly at her crossword. "What's an eight-letter word for someone who's nosy?"

"Busybody," Sora answered without hesitation. "But now you're changing the subject."

"And you're being an eight-letter word for someone who's about to be hit in the head with a crossword puzzle," Seiya said sweetly.

"Is it about Dad?"

"Maybe."

"And his hospital bills?"

"Maybe."

"And—ouch!" Sora picked up the book of crossword puzzles that had just hit him in the face and stuck his tongue out at his giggling mother. "That's it. I'm sending a handwritten plea to the Bureau for Child Welfare."

"Yeah, and then they'll relocate you to a foster home and you'll never screw Riku again," Seiya responded, grabbing her crossword and going back to work.

Sora sighed. "Aw, damn."

-

**Girls:** -giggling-

**Slashy: **What's everybody looking at?

**Kairi:** We looked up Sora and Riku's profiles in your astrology book. Listen to this:_ 'Aries Man – Aries men are in love with love. The appeal is in the art of romance and the thrill of the chase, not your charming smile. Some astrologers compare an Aries man to a knight in shining armor. However, you are just as likely to get run down by his charging steed as scooped up in a pair of loving arms.'_

**Girls:** -giggle more-

**Selphie:** You think that's bad? Listen to Sora's. _'Cancer Man – The first thing you'll notice is his genuine, and adorable, smile. The Cancer man is sweet, chivalrous, and has a wonderfully off-beat sense of humor that can be downright loony. You may see an ideal mate, but what you get is an ideal stalker. In bed, he is tender, but so passive that you'll soon tire of always being on top.'_

**Slashy:** Pfft. Not where Riku is concerned.

**Boys:** -snickering-

**Slashy:** What now? -walks to the next room- What're all of _you_ looking at?

**Tidus:** The girls think that book is bad? You should see what it says about them in the astrology book for which this fanfiction is titled.

**Leon** Seriously, man, stop talking like that.

**Tidus:** Sorry. Anyway, -clears throat- _'When it is time to hit the sheets, remember Aries is the sign of passionate **action**. So don't say you are ready to screw your brains out unless you are ready at the exact moment you consent. Wearing Velcro-fastened clothing will save your shirt as your Ram leaps from across the room to rip it from your body.'_

**Cloud:** Sweet.

**Tidus:** And then there's Sora's: _'This sign takes a bit of work to turn on, but once under that down comforter, you are liable to have your socks blasted off. Crabs are not overtly into sexual escapades. However, they are willing participants if you take the role of teacher and tell him or her you can make all those romantic fantasies come true'._

**Leon** And you think you know a guy.

**Tidus:** I wonder if Sora's read this book.

**Sora:** -comes out of Slashy's bedroom in nothing but a toga made out of sheets- I've read it five times. -heads to the kitchen-

**Slashy: …**Sora, what are you doing with my whipped cream?

**Sora:** -walks over to boys and grabs book, flipping through the pages- _'Your__ Ram won't be shy about vocalizing his preferences under the covers and will expect you to do the same. Feel free to suggest anything that pops into your head. Few signs will be as eager to try something new and only Gemini can get kinkier'._ –hands book back to Tidus- I'm hungry so Riku figured we could kill two birds with one stone. Now, if you'll excuse me. –walks back to bedroom and slams door-

**Slashy:** You're doing my fucking laundry, Harada!


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: **Love On A Rotten Day

**Author:** Slashapalooza

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts. But if I did, practically every boy therein would be gay and practically every girl therein would be dead. Which kind of sucks for het shippers, but that's the way the Slashy crumbles.

**Author's Note:** You may all be going, "Huh? Wha? Chapter Alert for Love On A Rotten Day? What the hell is that?" And I don't blame you one bit because I have been gone. But now I'm back to finish all of what I started and even start some more! I am feeling good about this and if I've lost some reviewers over the year, I understand and I accept. I just want to write again and write I shall. So, whoever's still reading, enjoy and know that your voices were eventually heard and prompted me to dip back into the Kingdom Hearts pool or some other cooler metaphor.

**Addendum: ** You may have noted that the rating for this story has gone up. Yes, well. Just want to be careful and such. Also, if this chapter isn't uploaded in its entirety, it's ff's fault for the pain it put me through trying to get it to upload ALL TEN THOUSAND ETC WORDS NOW GODDAMMIT.

**Thanks to: **Uh. Every single person who reviewed over the course of the last 12 months. Yeah. This has somehow blown up to 800-plus reviewers which is AMAZING and THANK YOU SO MUCH, so I really can't go back and thank all of you. Next chapter, maybe.

**Date Begun:** August 22, 2006 (ALMOST ONE YEAR LATER)

**Date Posted:** August 24, 2006 (OVER ONE YEAR LATER)

**Warning:** Completely unbeta'd and one year late.

**Chapter 16:** But Now I Know That I Misunderstood

_It's these substandard motels on the la la la la la  
Corner of Fourth and Fremont Street  
Appealing only because they're just that unappealing  
Any practiced Catholic would cross themselves upon entering  
The rooms have a hint of asbestos and maybe just a dash of formaldehyde  
And the habit of decomposing right before your very la la la la eyes  
Along with the people inside  
What a wonderful caricature of intimacy  
Inside… what a wonderful caricature of intimacy_  
—**Build God And We'll Talk by Panic! At The Disco**

"No kegs," Rikku said, tapping her finger impatiently against the phone as she spoke into it. "I don't care. No. I don't want any kegs being brought here, okay? Good. Bye."

Tidus raised an eyebrow as the irritated blonde slammed the phone down and then pressed her fingers to her temples. Her green eyes fixed on him in exasperated amusement. "Why do men always want to bring kegs?"

"Parties are boring without them," he replied as he finished packing all her silverware and cleaning products into a large box. Rikku didn't want any stabbings, thefts, or household product inhalations to occur during the party and Tidus was in charge of taking care of that.

Kairi had been sent upstairs to hide all the jewelry, change the sheets, and then lock the bedroom doors as Rikku didn't want to make it easy for horny teenagers to sneak upstairs and get it on in her or her parents' bedrooms, yet didn't want her good sheets soiled if they did.

Rikku chewed on her pinky nail as she looked around the kitchen. "Yuna should be here soon to help us set up the food. I always get so nervous before these parties. I never know how wild they're going to get, y'know?"

"Where do you want me to put this?" Tidus asked as he sealed the box and stood up.

"Basement."

Nodding, Tidus shifted the box into his arms and walked around the table, pausing when he noticed that Rikku was worrying her lower lip.

"Hey, relax," he said, sending a smile her way. "I'm here if anything gets too out of hand. And some of my friends are coming. I'll tell them to keep everything under control."

He waited until Rikku smiled back, then made his way out of the kitchen and down the hallway. The party was due to start in a few hours and, though he didn't want to admit it, Tidus was a bit nervous about what was to happen as well. After all, he and Selphie had been frequenters of parties back when they were still together. Surely she'd make an appearance, most likely with Irvine in tow.

A few drinks could very well have Tidus slamming his fist into Irvine's face like he'd been dying to do ever since Selphie started dating him. Honestly, some guys just didn't know how to keep their hands to themselves. He knew that look in Irvine's eyes. _He_ was the only guy allowed to contemplate what Selphie looked like under her cute little outfits, dammit.

"Stop glaring at the door. It hasn't done anything to you," Kairi said in a sing-songy voice as she passed by with an armful of sheets. She bumped her hip into his back and grinned, continuing on her way, presumably, to the linen closet.

Rolling his eyes, Tidus shifted the box into one hand and used the other to open the door. In any case, he wasn't going to let a little thing like Selphie Tillmet ruin his good time.

Emphasis on the word "thing".

He put the box in the basement and took the stairs two at a time on his way back up, closing and bolting the basement door.

"Yunie's here!" Rikku cried happily as she rushed past Tidus. "Come greet her!"

Tidus suddenly remembered that Yuna was his date for the night and tried not to look as put-out about it as he felt. He couldn't help but like Rikku better. After all, even at her worst (which, admittedly, he hadn't seen much of), she was still exciting. Yuna Ananda just seemed too straight-laced to be any fun.

The fact that Selphie didn't hate Yuna as much as Rikku had nothing to do with anything. At all.

"TIDUS!" He heard Rikku scream from somewhere near the front of the house. Sighing, he followed the scream.

The first thing he noted as he approached the two cousins hugging in the doorway was that the dress Yuna was wearing was far too modest for a wild party. It was a simple lavender dress that extended to her ankles. It contrasted with the miniskirt and belted turtleneck top that Rikku was wearing.

"Hello, Tidus," Yuna greeted with a smile and an amused sparkle in her eye. Tidus couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

Well, the lavender _did_ look wonderful on her…

"Hey, Yuna," He replied, his smile widening as Rikku giggled and excused herself. Maybe this little date wouldn't suck as much as he thought.

-

"Mmmm. Rikuuuu. You're going to make me—ah—late." Sora groaned, squirming as Riku nipped lightly at the cook of his neck. He was sure it was completely inappropriate to be making out with his boyfriend in the shadows of the trees in front of the house in which he was to baby-sit that night, but Riku had just walked Sora to the house and dragged him behind a tree and his hands had started wandering and…

Who was Sora to stop him really? He wasn't hurting anyone. He _certainly_ wasn't hurting Sora.

"You can say that you were jumped on the way," Riku muttered, kissing a trail to Sora's ear. "And that you were very nearly raped, but managed to escape."

"The Iieshiro twins are _nine_, Riku. I'm not going to—nnergh—tell them that!"

Riku's hand paused half-way up Sora's shirt as the older boy glanced at his watch. "You're ten minutes late."

"WHAT?" Sora shoved Riku away from him and straightened his shirt, coming out from behind the tree and hoping his face wasn't as hot as it felt. "Good_bye_, Riku!" He hissed behind him.

"Have fun!" Riku called back smugly.

Sora ran his fingers through his already messy hair and took a deep, calming breath as he rang the doorbell.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal Mrs. Iieshiro, dressed in a very fancy black dress, a frown on her face. It quickly turned into a smile as she realized who it was. "Sora! We were getting worried!"

"I-I was…" He stammered. "Um… jumped…" Sora finished lamely, looking down. "Sorry."

"Oh, you poor thing! Are you alright?" Mrs. Iieshiro asked, her eyes wide with concern. "Should we call the hospital? Are you sure we shouldn't just find another babysitter?"

Sora swallowed guilt. "Eheh. No, really, I'm okay. I can watch the twins."

"If you're sure… Well, come in! Kai and Rei are in the living room playing Cowboys and Indians." Mrs. Iieshiro said kindly, patting Sora on the head and stepping aside.

Sora's mother and Mrs. Iieshiro had been roommates in college, and it was Seiya who had introduced Mrs. Iieshiro to her future husband. Because of that, whenever they needed someone to baby-sit, they always turned to Sora and paid him quite a lot of money for it.

Sora made his way into the living room and had to duck as a hat went flying towards his face. He blinked and looked to see Kai and Rei rolling around on the floor. Kai appeared to be trying to tie Rei up and Rei appeared to be trying to beat Kai up.

He sighed. "Guys. GUYS! Quit it!"

The twins stopped mid-wrestle, hands still clasped as they stared at the source of the voice. Then, seeing that it was Sora, they quickly scrambled up and tackled him.

"Sora, Rei was being mean to me!"

"Nuh uh! Kai was the mean one, Sora! Make him stop!"

"No, make _him_ stop!"

Sora heard a chuckle and tilted his head back slightly to see a pair of black shoes, connected to the body of Mr. Iieshiro.

"We'll leave them in your capable hands, Sora. We'll be back around midnight, alright? Make sure they don't go to bed too late."

"Yes, sir." Sora replied, sitting up. Kai and Rei ran off to the front door to kiss their mother and father goodbye, while Sora stared wistfully out the living room window, hoping to catch sight of Riku, but the older boy had left.

It wasn't that he didn't adore the twins. Because he did. They were loud, messy, and, at times, violent, but they were amusing and they cared about him, and vice versa.

It was more that… well, they weren't Riku.

Sora smiled a little. He still couldn't believe it. He had a boyfriend. As in a _boyfriend_. As in making out and I love yous and cuddling and warm and fuzzy feelings and—

He pushed down the sudden urge to giggle. Who knew that dating Riku could be so absolutely wonderful? He certainly didn't. Oh, the days when he'd been convinced the older boy wanted nothing more from him than sex, sex, and more sex.

Okay, so those days hadn't been all that long ago and Sora had slept with Riku soon enough to classify him as extremely easy, but there was _love_ behind it and they were _expressing_ that love in a physical manner.

Yes.

And besides, Riku was sex on legs and it was impossible to resist, even it did make him extremely sore the morning after.

"Sora! Come play with us!" Rei called from behind him moments before a couch pillow smacked him in the back of the head.

Sora grinned. "That's it, you brats. You're _dead_!"

-

Selphie's phone vibrated in the back pocket of her Levis as she tried to decide on what to wear to the party. Without taking her eyes off the two outfits, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Selph!" Yuffie's cheerful voice sang. "Do you need a ride to Rikku's place?"

Selphie laughed. "Are you driving? Because I sort of like living, Yuffie. No offense."

"Heeeey," Yuffie whined. Selphie stifled another laugh and picked up her white monkey shirt, holding it up in front of her as she looked in the mirror. "I'll have you know that I'm a very careful driver and—"

"That's why you're on probation?"

Yuffie huffed. "Shut up. Anyway, Wakka's driving so you don't have to worry about any accidents considering he drives like my dead grandmother and all."

"At least he gets us there," Selphie murmured, deciding to go with the top and her denim low-rise jeans. "Anyway, could he pick up Irvine on his way here? That'd be so much easier than meeting him there."

"Sooooo," Yuffie drawled innocently. "You and Irvine, huh?"

Selphie had been wondering when they were going to have this conversation. In fact, she'd been expecting Yuffie to drag her into the girls' bathroom on the first day for this conversation. As it was, she merely pinned the phone between her ear and her raised shoulder and tried to wiggle out of her pants.

"Yeah, he's really nice. I like him." She said honestly. "He's no Tidus, for sure, but he just seems so… genuine. Like he wouldn't lie to me. You know? I think I need a bit of that for awhile."

Yuffie hummed thoughtfully. "You're sure this has nothing to do with making Tidus jealous?"

"I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't," Selphie replied, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "But I really do like him, Yuffie. Promise."

"Alright. I just don't want you getting an innocent guy tangled in Hurricane Tiphie."

Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Hurricane Tiphie?"

"Sounds better than Hurricane Seldus, doesn't it?"

"I guess…" She laughed. "Anyway, I have to get dressed."

"That's fine. So do I, come to think of it. Can't go parading around the house in my skimpy underwear." Too much information. _Way_ too much information. "Wakka and I will be by in an hour to pick you up!"

"Okay. Bye." Selphie turned off the phone and tossed it on the bed, pulling on her denim jeans. Her shoulders slumped. God, _Tidus_.

Inhaling deeply, she pushed all thoughts of him from her head. She was going to have _fun_ tonight. No matter what.

-

"Those are my pants." Leon pointed out. He and Cloud were in his bedroom getting ready for Rikku's party. The brunet had just finished taking a shower (unfortunately without Cloud, who had claimed to have taken a shower already) and was now standing in the doorway connecting the bathroom to his bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and staring at the blond wearing his pants.

"I was aware of that when I put them on, yes." Cloud said, turning around and pointing to the L stitched to the back pocket. "Did you get that custom made or did they come like that?"

Leon rolled his eyes and walked further into the room, walking over to one of his dressers and rummaging through the drawers for an undershirt. "What is it with you and stealing my pants?"

"They fit so well." Cloud responded, examining himself in the mirror. He looked at Leon devilishly. "I say you wear nothing but that to the party." A pause. "Nah. Then everybody'd be jumping you and I'd have to kill them all."

"I'm always up for some mass murder." Leon quipped as he found the shirt and pulled it on.

"Are you guys ready—oh, god, ew," Aerith said as she stuck her head in and caught sight of Leon's half-naked state. Wincing, she stared pointedly at Cloud instead. "Um, I'm going to wait downstairs, so hurry up, okay?"

Leon glanced over at her, not in the slightest bit self-conscious. "You're wearing that to the party?"

Aerith glanced down at her plaid mini-skirt and red top. "Um. Yes?"

"Ignore him. I think you look fine. Try not to bend over." Cloud advised, waving her out of the room. "Now, unless you, like me, want to watch Leon put his pants on, I suggest you go wait downstairs like you said."

"Right. Don't take too long, okay?" Aerith said with a smile, closing the door.

Cloud rolled his eyes fondly and flopped backwards on the bed. "Grab me one of my shirts when you go in your closet, please and thank you."

"Uh huh."

Leon walked over to the closet, grabbing the tight white sleeveless shirt he loved to see Cloud in then pulling a pair of leather pants off the rack for himself. He paused a moment, looking at the contents of the closet.

Half of the contents were Cloud's shit.

"Geez, why don't you just move in?" He said, rolling his eyes as he threw the shirt to Cloud and took out a black long sleeved shirt, pulling that on over his undershirt.

Cloud snorted. "No room. Kick Aerith's ass out and I'd be at the front door with my stuff in five seconds or less."

"I see." Leon said, hiding a smile. He dropped the towel, ignoring the whistling and cat calls Cloud let out, and pulled on the pants. Then he turned to face his boyfriend. "Ready when you are."

Cloud hopped off the bed. "Let's go."

-

"So, you do this all the time?" Tidus asked in amusement as he leaned against the wall outside the bathroom. The party had just gotten started downstairs and, once she'd finished laying out the snacks and beverages, Yuna had disappeared up the stairs. Curious, Tidus had followed her, only to find her exiting Rikku's bedroom with a very alluring red dress.

Yuna laughed from behind the door. "Yes. My guardians are a bit strict, you see, so I leave the house in one outfit and change here. You won't tell anyone will you?"

"It depends on how good you look in that dress," Tidus replied, smirking.

Yuna laughed again and then fell silent. Tidus assumed she was either changing or using the bathroom. It turned out to be the former as, only seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Yuna in a very form-fitting red dress with a black belt around the waist, the hem-line grazing her thighs. Tidus couldn't help but notice that the v-neck displayed a bit of cleavage.

"I guess you like it then?" Yuna asked. She sounded amused, but her cheeks were a very bright pink.

Tidus politely dragged his eyes back up to her face. "I like it." He held out his arm. "Ready to return to the party?"

Yuna tapped the heel of her black sneakers against the floor to ensure they fit properly and nodded, taking his arm. "I'm ready."

Tidus laughed and led her down the stairs. The house was a bit more packed than it had been before they left, he noticed. Rikku hadn't been kidding when she said that everyone came to these parties. There were boys and girls grinding to the upbeat music, girls dancing with girls while enthralled boys looked on, and boys dancing with boys. People were chugging so much Pepsi there was no way it could still _only_ contain Pepsi and there was a rousing game of Toss the Ugly Lamp going on.

Amidst the crowd, they found Rikku, who giggled when she saw them. "Yunie! I told you that dress would look amazing on you!"

"She wasn't lying," Tidus inputted, enjoying the way Yuna's cheeks heated up. "Where's Kairi?"

"Ummmm," Rikku pouted in thought. "I think she went to go greet someone or something. Or she could be, you know, dead in a ditch somewhere. I'm not sure."

Tidus chuckled. "Want me to get you two a drink?"

"Sure," the two girls said in unison.

Tidus fought his way through the crowd to the kitchen to break open a fresh, untainted bottle of Pepsi, almost getting distracted by a grinding couple who wanted him to join them. He'd have to hit that later. He found two cups in the cupboard and washed them thoroughly before dropping some ice in them and filling them with soda.

"Tidus! Hi!" He glanced over his shoulder, blinking when he saw Leon's little sister beaming at him. "Is Yuffie here yet?"

"I don't know," He replied, picking up the drinks. "But I'm guessing from your arrival that Leon and Cloud are here?"

"Yeah, they're trying to find the booze," Aerith said breezily, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Tell them to look in the upstairs closet. And to bring a hairpin because the door's locked."

"Okay." Aerith paused briefly, then looked away. "So… I heard you and Selphie broke up."

Despite his desire not to have any reaction to that name, he could feel his expression getting cold. "You heard correctly."

Aerith bit her lip. "Are you, um, okay?"

"Fine."

"You, um, sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Another pause. "Can I have one of those?"

Tidus handed her a cup, then poured another one, brushing past her on his way out of the kitchen. Rikku and Yuna were chatting animatedly when he returned, but what they were saying wasn't really registering in his mind.

He really needed to get over this. Her. It was bordering on pathetic and he had more important things to think about than—

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked, her eyes softening in concern.

Tidus stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "Wanna dance?"

-

"Masaki."

Riku raised an eyebrow as he turned, sighing heavily when he realized that Kairi was standing there with her hands on her hips and a displeased frown on her face. Honestly, didn't she have anything better to do? Like breathe in some other area?

"Hi." He said slowly.

"Hi," Kairi replied in a sweet voice, glancing around. "Where's your little chew toy?"

Riku stared at her blankly. "My little what?"

"Chew toy. Something a dog plays with. Or, in your case, some_one_."

"What, you mean Sora?" He paused. "Are you implying something?"

"Where's Sora? You didn't bring him to the party with you?" Kairi asked instead of confirming or denying the accusation.

"Sora's babysitting for the Iieshiros," Riku informed her as he pushed his way through the crowd in search of some liquor. He really didn't have the time or patience to play Kairi's little mind games and listen to her bitch on and on about something he'd supposedly done without actually telling him what it was.

Besides, if he was going to be without Sora all night, he wanted to at least enjoy himself.

"I'm surprised you let him go," Kairi said, suddenly appearing next to him. When had _that_ happened? "You guys are practically joined at the hip. It's a wonder you guys don't go to the bathroom together or something."

Riku felt a dull throbbing around his temples. "Kairi…"

"I mean, Sora I can understand because you're his first boyfriend ever, but you?" Kairi continued as though he hadn't spoken. "I mean, what could _you_ possibly want with him twenty-four seven? Don't you have a _life_?"

"Kairi…"

"But no, I guess you have nothing better than do than to toy with innocent boys. And for what? So Tidus and his friends will talk to you? What's so great about Tidus?"

Riku stopped walking, raising an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me? I'm not the one getting all buddy-buddy with Tidus. That would be your domain, not mine."

"Tidus and I are friends," Kairi said defensively. "Sort of. I mean, he's a total asshole, like you, but he's just as misguided asshole. You, on the other hand, are scum. Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

"What is it exactly that you think I'm up to?" Riku snapped. "Because I have no idea what the hell you're even _talking_ about!"

Kairi's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you have the _nerve_ to stand there and say that! Selphie told me everything!"

And suddenly he remembered.

"_She kept saying you were going to break my heart and make some kind of video tape and all kinds of stupid stuff." Sora had said quietly, his eyes swimming with trust and a hint of fear. _

"I can't be talking to you right now," Riku said shakily, rubbing his eyes and whirling around. "I've got to… I've got to go."

"Go where? You can't keep running away from this, Riku! I'm not just going to stand aside and let you hurt Sora!"

"Maybe," Riku hissed, his voice acidic. "You should stop worrying about what _I'm_ going to do to Sora and start worrying about what _you're_ doing to Sora. Do you think he likes not talking to you? You're his best friend, Kairi, and if you're going to stop talking to him over something I haven't even done yet, then you lose all right to be a bitch."

Kairi looked as though she was about to protest, but Riku didn't want to hear it. He shoved his way through the crowd, not feeling like staying at this stupid party a minute longer. Kairi was right about one thing. He'd _much_ rather be with Sora.

-

"I found Chianti," Cloud announced proudly as he stepped out of the upstairs closet. Leon tossed the hairpin they'd used to pick the lock off to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Is there anything in there for those of us with actual taste buds?"

"Sorry, Bacardi boy," Cloud retorted, stepping to the side so that Leon could examine the contents of the closet for himself. "But I didn't see any fine wines in there. I saw some vodka, though, if you want that."

Leon found the vodka just as Cloud finished his sentence and handed it to the blond to be added to their drinks later. He was pretty sure that the soda had already been spiked, but he'd tasted a bit and it wasn't anything strong. It'd take at least two or so cups for anyone to get truly drunk off of that stuff. They'd have to, out of the kindness of their hearts, rectify _that_ situation.

Cloud chugged some Chianti straight from the bottle, then licked his lips, grabbing Leon by the front of the shirt and kissing him soundly. He pulled back and licked his lips again. "Tasty."

Leon lips curved in a semblance of a smile. "After we spike the drinks, let's find an empty bedroom and do body shots."

"You speak my language." Cloud agreed, leaning up to give Leon another kiss.

"I see you found the booze."

The two turned, somewhat unsurprised to see Tidus standing by the stairwell with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey," Leon greeted, giving Cloud a fond look before ducking back into the closet. "Want to help us carry some of this downstairs?"

"I would, but I helped them hide it. I don't need to piss off three more girls." Tidus said with a shrug. "Anyway, you guys should hurry up with that. Rikku comes up here periodically to make sure nobody's breaking anything."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Did you want something?"

Tidus was silent for a full minute before lowering his eyes. "Is Selphie here yet?"

Cloud repressed the urge to snort, sigh, or some odd combination of the two. Selphie and Tidus were really sickening to watch at times. It was like watching the same episode of _All My Children_ over and over again.

Presumably, of course, because Cloud didn't watch such mindless drivel. Ever.

But still, it was like a soap opera in progress the way those two fell all over each other and then went periods without speaking only to fall all over each other again.

"We haven't looked," Leon answered while Cloud was contemplating whether or not he'd make any money off submitting Selphie and Tidus' relationship as a premise for a new soap opera. "Why don't you go and check?"

"You guys are going to start making out the moment I leave, aren't you?" Tidus asked, his cocky persona back in place.

"Probably," Cloud responded, sliding his free hand into the back pocket of Leon's pants. "Now leave so I can find out."

Tidus grinned. "Alright, alright. Don't get caught with that booze."

"We never get caught," Leon said easily, waiting until Tidus had gone back down the stairs before pinning Cloud to the wall by the closet. "Where were we?"

Cloud kissed him softly. "Right about here."

-

_Beep beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep._

Selphie finished glossing her lips and suppressed an eye roll at Yuffie's distinctive honking. The longer she stayed up here, the longer Yuffie would keep leaning on the horn. That was, after all, part of the reason she'd been put on probation: too many people had called the police on her for honking the horn too long.

She examined herself in the mirror, then, satisfied, slipped on some sandals, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door.

"Bye, Mom! I'm sleeping over at Yuffie's!" She called over her shoulder and hurried out the door without waiting for a reply. She didn't really know if she was sleeping over at Yuffie's house, but, she figured, at least if she got drunk at the party and passed out on Rikku's couch, her parents wouldn't call the secret service or whatever.

The incessant honking stopped as soon as Selphie had locked her front door and she hurried out to the car sitting in front of the house, hopping into the back seat.

Irvine immediately pulled her into his lap and kissed her cheek. "Hey."

"Hi," Selphie said with a giggle. "Hi, Wakka. Hi, Yuffie."

"Hello, Selphie!" Yuffie greeted and, somehow, Selphie was unsurprised to see that she was driving. She could only hope that the police didn't catch them on the way to the party. She really didn't feel like getting arrested. "Nice outfit."

"You, uh, too," Selphie replied, eyeing Yuffie's midriff-baring bull's eye shirt and extremely short shorts. It would have been skanky on anyone else, but Yuffie always dressed like that. No one would bat and eyelash.

"I hear Lulu's going to be at the party, ya," Wakka said, sounding excited. "I'm going to ask her to the dance."

Selphie grinned and looked out the window. She had to go shopping for a dress for the dance, she suddenly remembered. Maybe she'd drag Irvine with her and they could coordinate outfits or something cutesy like that. Tidus would never coordinate outfits with her, but with Irvine she might have half a chance.

"Hey, Irvy?" She whispered, placing on hand over his on her stomach. "Want to go dress shopping for me?"

She could practically hear him smiling. "I don't need a dress."

"Yeah, but I do. You're taking me to the dance, right? Don't you want to make sure I look pretty?"

"You always look pretty, but, sure, I'll go."

Satisfied, Selphie returned to looking out the window.

Yuffie snorted. "Seriously, it's like eating half a pound of sugar listening to the two of you."

-

Rei and Kai were jumping up and down on the couch, singing along to the Pokemon theme song and Sora was sitting by the window, watching the cars drive by. This was the first time he could remember being so… bored.

He wondered what Riku was doing. He'd been wearing some pretty nice clothes so maybe he'd gone clubbing or something. Maybe he was getting his groove on between a buxom blond girl and a tiny brunet boy that bared a strong resemblance to Sora. Maybe he was in a dark corner of said club with the tiny brunet boy who had much less reservations about public sex than Sora did.

And Sora was seriously depressing himself. He cut off that line of thought and instead put his mental Riku at home watching CNN or something.

"SORA!"

The brunette blinked and turned around, noticing Kai and Rei staring at him with matching scowls.

"We've been calling you for, like, ten minutes…" Kai began, narrowing his eyes.

"There's somebody at the door." Rei finished for him, rolling his eyes. "You're so spacey, Sora."

Sora got to his feet and stuck his tongue out at them. "Oh, shut up or you're not getting any ice cream. I'll be right back."

He ignored the agonized cries of protest and walked from the living room to the front hall, peering through the peephole.

Wait a minute… that couldn't be right…

Sora flung open the door and blinked stupidly at the object of his affections, wondering what the hell Riku was doing on the porch when he was supposed to be at home watching CNN. Or something.

Riku seemed a bit upset, but that melted into a smirk the moment he saw Sora's dumbfounded look. "Miss me?" He asked, wrapping his arms around Sora's waist and covering Sora's lips with his own.

On instinct, Sora mewled softly, tangling his fingers in Riku's soft hair. He suddenly wanted to be that tiny brunet boy who bared a strong resemblance to him with the lack of reservations about public sex.

_Crash_.

Gasping, Sora pulled out of the kiss and shoved Riku away before he could melt into the boy's arms all over again.

"What are you doing here! I'm babysitting!" Sora hissed, turning around to call, "KAI! REI! YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR COVER STORY STRAIGHT BEFORE I GET BACK IN THERE BECAUSE IF EITHER OF YOU TRY TO BLAME THE OTHER, I'LL PUNISH YOU BOTH!"

Riku raised an eyebrow at how dominant Sora sounded, smiling when the brunet turned back to him. "Little hellions, eh? You may need my help after all."

"I can't let you in here, Riku!" Sora protested. "I can't have people over while the Iieshiros aren't here. And, besides…" His cheeks turned red. "I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you. I don't know how I'm managing right now."

"We can work around that. I'll leave before they get home and I'll try not to be sexy." Riku kissed Sora lightly on the forehead. "Please?"

"…okay…" Sora whispered, taking a deep breath and stepping to the side so that Riku could walk in. He closed the door and led Riku to the living room, where Rei and Kai were sitting on the couch, a shattered porcelain vase lying on the ground in front of them.

"See, what happened was—hey, who's that?" Rei asked, stopping mid-excuse.

"I've never seen him before either." Kai agreed, hoping off the couch. He walked over to Riku and jabbed the boy in the side, blinking when Riku snorted. "Heeey, he's real."

Rei copied Riku's snort. "Of course he's real, numbskull! What'd you think he was? A hallucineenation?"

"No, I thought maybe he was a ghost or something! And shut up! Betcha you can't even SPELL hallucineenation!"

"Can so! H-E-L-O-P-D-N-E-T-O-F! Hallucineenation! Betcha can't spell ghost!"

"Can so! G-H-O-S-T! Everybody knows that one, moron!"

"Loser!"

"Brat!"

"…POOPIEHEAD!"

"Now I see where you get your insults from." Riku whispered to Sora, smirking when the younger boy turned bright red.

Sora cleared his throat. "You guys, stop it. Riku's not a hallucination – which you spelled wrong by the way, Rei – and he's not a ghost. He's my…" He trailed off, looking from Riku to the twins and back again. "…my brother."

"Brother?"

"Brother?"

Sora looked from the confused twins to an indignant Riku and laughed sheepishly. "Um, yes?"

"You don't have a brother! You're an only child!" Kai pointed out, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The brunet coughed. "He's my… adopted brother. We finalized the paperwork last week."

"Oh," Rei said simply. "Hi, Sora's brother."

"My name is Riku," The white-haired boy said, still sounding indignant.

"I'm Rei."

"I'm Kai."

"We're twins." They chorused together. "It's very nice to meet you."

"He's going to help me baby-sit, but, er, don't tell your mom and dad, okay?" Sora shot Riku an apologetic smile, then looked back at the twins. "You don't tell them about Riku and I don't tell them about that vase you broke. Deal?"

"Deal!"

-

Kairi sighed as she found Yuna in the kitchen, opening a can of ginger ale. The brown-haired girl glanced her way, then, noting that Kairi seemed frustrated, grabbed an unopened can.

"Did something happen?" She asked sympathetically, handing Kairi the soda.

Kairi opened the can with a small _hisss_, then drank half of it, wiping her mouth with the back of her palm. "I got in a fight with my ex-best friend's current asshole of a boyfriend, who accused _me_ of being the asshole. I'm a bit frustrated, I guess."

"I see," Yuna blinked. "Do all of you _ever_ do anything simply? You all seem to be in the midst of such complicated situations… I mean, Tidus and Selphie and Rikku… and now you and… those two other people you mentioned…"

Kairi frowned thoughtfully. "Um. I think Leon and Cloud are in a simple relationship. I mean, if you ignore the fact that they're only together because Cloud dumped Leon's little sister, Aerith, for Leon. Oh, and Yuffie and Wakka are pretty simple. I think. I'm not sure. I try not to talk to them."

Yuna blinked again and didn't say anything, instead choosing to take another sip of her soda. A wise move as Kairi wasn't really in the mood to talk anyway. She couldn't help thinking that Riku had a point. This constant fighting between her and Sora was killing her and Sora had always been more sensitive than she was. It was probably killing him, too. No wonder he was latching on to Riku.

"Well," Yuna said after a moment, reminding Kairi of her presence in the kitchen. "I don't know anything about the situation, but I think that if your ex-best friend's boyfriend is an, ah, asshole, then he or she is probably going to need someone to be there for them when their boyfriend shows his true colors. Don't you think?"

Yuna, too, had a point.

Despite the fact that Riku was a total shitface, he was Sora's first boyfriend. His first… _first_. Kairi should at least be supportive. She had to be there for him. Especially when Riku ultimately betrayed him.

And if that meant she had to lie a little to protect Sora's feelings, well, then, she'd do that. Because Sora was worth all that and more.

Kairi finished the other half of her soda and ran her fingers through her hair. She missed him. She missed her friend. She missed what they'd had before Riku had entered the equation. She missed… everything.

"Kairi?" Rikku said as she stuck her head into the kitchen. "Have you seen Tidus?"

"No," she replied, getting up. "But if you find him, tell him I had to go somewhere. Nice party, Rikku."

Yuna smiled knowingly. "Going to get him back?"

Kairi smiled back. "Finally."

-

_The Pepsi's spiked,_ Selphie noted as she peered into the cup Irvine had just handed her. He was on his fifth cup, she believed, which was a little pathetic as they'd only arrived about five minutes ago. How a man could inhale five cups of spiked soda and not be totally plastered was beyond her, but she didn't feel like questioning the wonder that was Irvine Kinneas.

Yuffie had immediately gone to put her musical requests in to the DJ while Wakka had spotted Lulu somewhere in the crowd and had gone to flirt or some other disgusting thing.

At least she hadn't seen Tidus yet, so she could thank heavens for that tiny blessing. Without Tidus, she was somewhat managing to have a good time. The music was good, the snacks were great, and, spiked Pepsi aside, there was a good variety of beverages. Rikku Kudo knew how to throw a party, all personal bias aside.

That didn't mean she wasn't still a stuck up, airheaded snot. Just a good party-thrower, in _addition_ to being a stuck up, airheaded snot.

Speaking of which, Selphie plastered on a fake smile as she spotted Rikku heading towards her.

"Hey!" Rikku called out cheerfully over the music. Seriously, what the hell was there to be so cheerful about all the time? "Have you seen Tidus?"

"You see this smile on my face?" Selphie said with a bit more hostility than necessary. "This is proof that I haven't. Why should it be my problem that you've lost your boyfriend?"

Rikku blinked blankly, then smiled again. "Well, I figured since you seem to have lost yours, maybe you'd ditched him for mine."

"What are you—" Selphie began before she realized that Irvine was no longer beside her. Instead he was surrounded by a group of girls a few feet away, sipping his drink and exuding charm. Her lips curved into a thin line. "Very funny, Rikku."

"I wasn't trying to be funny. Anyway, I'll tell Tidus you're here if I see him." Rikku glanced at Irvine. "Good luck with that."

Reminding herself that starting a catfight would be illegal and, overall, not very polite, Selphie finished her Pepsi in one big gulp and grabbed another from a passing teenager. If anybody deserved to get drunk tonight, it was her.

Selphie noticed Cloud and Leon coming down the stairs, cradling a bunch of bottles of liquor and pushed through the crowd to reach them.

"Hi guys. Thanks." She said as she grabbed one of the bottles from Cloud and handed him her untouched Pepsi instead.

She opened the bottle and downed some, eyeing Irvine who, with the help of a rather pretty brunette, was climbing onto a table and taking his shirt off.

Oh yes. Selphie Tillmet was definitely getting plastered tonight.

-

"I'm not taking her home," Leon said as he dumped the entire bottle of vodka into the punch. He was sporting a rather impressive hickey on his neck thanks to Cloud, which only fueled his desire to get everyone at the party as drunk as possible. The less people sober to see it, the happier he'd be.

"Ten bucks says she and Tidus wake up in bed together tomorrow morning," Cloud replied, grinning as he stood before the table to hide Leon's actions from view. He, too, was wearing a matching hickey but he was anything but ashamed. He smiled in amusement as he spotted Tidus dancing with Rikku Kudo in the crowd and wondering if that was what Selphie had seen to make her want to get drunk so badly.

Leon snorted. "I doubt it, but, fine. Ten bucks says they don't."

"Thank you in advance for helping me buy a new CD," Cloud said smugly.

"Hi!" A familiar voice cried cheerily just before Cloud found himself with an armful of Yuffie. He placed his hands safely on her bare sides and gave Leon a bemused look over his shoulder.

"Hi, Yuffie. Glad you could make it." He greeted as she released him to beam happily. "Want some vodka?"

Yuffie rocked back and forth on her heels, peering at the empty bottle of vodka that Leon was putting under the table. "Ummm. Sure. Hi, Leon!"

"Yuffie," Leon inclined his head in acknowledgement and poured her some punch. "Where's Wakka?"

"Oh, he's with Lulu. Totally ditched me the minute I walked in the door." Yuffie huffed. "'Course then I realized that I needed to help the DJ find some good music a.k.a. what I like to hear, so I ditched Selphie and Irvine. Have you seen them?"

"Selphie took off with a bottle of Corona less than five minutes ago," Cloud explained, gesturing towards the crowd. "I'm sure if you look hard enough you'll find her. I don't care enough to know where Irvine is."

Yuffie wrinkled her nose as she took a sip of her drink. "Does Rikku know you're spiking her punch?"

Leon snorted. "Yeah, sure. She let us break into her closet and find her alcohol. It's how she gets her kicks."

Yuffie set down her cup, completely disregarding Leon's sarcasm, and looked between the two. "One of you. Dance with me."

Leon and Cloud exchanged glances.

"_Now_," Yuffie repeated, the beginnings of a pout forming on her face.

"I have to piss. See you upstairs for the body shots, Leon." Cloud said suddenly, giving Leon a cheeky grin before disappearing into the crowd. Yuffie and Leon watched him go, then looked back at one another.

"Dammit," Leon muttered as Yuffie grabbed his arm. He was _so_ kicking Cloud's ass later.

-

Sora was starting to think that the rumor about having sex making you want to do it more was completely true. Either that, or the board game Sorry was incredibly arousing.

He was curled up in a ball on the couch, watching Kai, Rei, and Riku play an animated game of Sorry while simultaneously fighting the urge to tackle Riku down on the coffee table and permanently scar those poor children. Why his hormones had chosen now to become rampantly active, he would never know.

He glanced upwards as the lights flicked for the third time in the last two hours. It had started raining at some point, rather hard, too, and Sora had a feeling the lights were going to go out completely at some point. In fact, he was hoping for it.

Sure, Kai and Rei were afraid of the dark. But Riku was also a pervert. Surely he'd take advantage of the darkness in order to lure Sora into some mutual groping. And the boys could last five or ten minutes before Sora pried himself away from Riku to find a flashlight.

Oh, _wow_, he was getting pathetic.

"HA!" Riku said as he forced Rei's pawn to go back to the nest. "I'm beating you two so badly. Sora," he glanced up, grinning. "Are you sure you don't want to join? You can be on my team."

"No, I'm good," Sora replied, knowing that if he went down there, he wouldn't even wait for a blackout. "I'm very cozy right where I am."

"Suit yourself!" Rei and Kai said in unison as Kai picked another card.

Sighing as the lights flickered again, Sora sat up and grabbed the TV remote, turning on the forgotten television with every intention of watching _Barney and Friends_ or something. However, the instant the television clicked on, it immediately shut off along with every other light in the house.

Sora blinked until his mind processed what happened.

Then, all he could think was, _"Yes."_

"Sora!" Rei cried fearfully. "Sora, I'm scared of the dark!"

"Me too!" Kai added, his voice sounding muffled. Sora could only assume Kai was clinging to Rei for dear life, which was confirmed when he heard Rei's annoyed voice demand Kai to release his pancreas before he crushed it.

"The lights will come back soon," Sora reassured them, unable to keep the perkiness from his voice. "You alright Riku?"

"Fine." Riku responded. Sora was displeased to note that his voice seemed to be coming from the general direction of the coffee table and not, as his body was begging for, from somewhere right beside him. "I'm not afraid of the dark."

"Sooora," Kai whined. "Get the flashlight!"

"Um," Sora paused briefly for a moment to think. "Okay, Rei and Kai, you guys come over here and wait on the couch. Riku and I will go and find the flashlight."

"Okay." Rei whispered. Sora got off the couch, one hand groping blinding for a moment to make sure he didn't crash into anything. He heard some shuffling followed by a whispered complaint that someone was stepping on someone's foot before the silence returned. Satisfied that the twins were safely on the couch, Sora groped his way to the coffee table, then around to the side where Riku had been sitting.

A hand grabbed his wrist just as he was about to wave his hand around until it hit something warm and solid by the name of Riku.

"I'm right here. Let's go get the flashlight." Riku's voice said, releasing Sora's wrist to take his hand.

Sora stared at him incredulously. The effect was severely lessened by the fact that Riku couldn't see it, but still. Did he _really_ think Sora wanted to go search for a flashlight when they could be… could be… _doing things_?

Riku was tugging his hand insistently. Oh god. He was really and truly serious. What was _wrong_ with him?

Sora dragged his hand out of Riku's grasp and reached upwards, finding his shoulder, his hair, and his left ear before both his hands landed on Riku's cheeks. He tugged the white-haired boy's face down to meet his.

Screw the flashlight.

Riku smirked against his lips and his hands found Sora's waist (seemingly effortlessly which was really unfair), tugging the brunet closer and tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Sora's body was responding positively to this development and, though he knew they couldn't very well Do It in the Iieshiro's house during a black out with the twins _right over there on the couch_, he couldn't stop the very small part of him that thought, "Why not?"

Riku's tongue was sliding along the roof of his mouth and Sora suppressed a moan, settling for a shuddery sigh. One hand left Riku's cheek to slide under his shirt and rest lightly on his back.

"Ghosts," Kai whispered, sounding even more afraid than before. "SORA! HURRY UP! THERE ARE GHOSTS DOWN HERE!"

Sora pulled back from the kiss, feeling suddenly guilty. What was he _doing_? Those kids were afraid and he was making out with his boyfriend. This was so unlike him. He had to go and get the flashlight and—nnggh, Riku's tongue was tracing a very sensitive spot on his neck and what had he been talking about again?

He had the distinct feeling that he was falling backwards and then Riku's hand came up to protect his back and Sora suddenly realized that he was lying on the coffee table and Riku was on him and this was so, so, so, so, so, wrong but _ohgodohgodrikuuuu_ and he was dying a little death and _pleasemoreplease_ and… and…

Suddenly, the lights came on.

Sora could feel his face heating up as Riku stopped nibbling on his neck and glanced up at what was no doubt the very shocked and mentally scarred faces of two innocent nine year old boys.

Oh _god_!

Sora quickly shimmied out, standing and hoping his face wasn't as red as he thought it was. Riku straightened as well, coughing and looking uncomfortable. Sora had no idea why. _He'd_ been the innocent victim. For once.

The Iieshiro twins gaped at them, then looked at each other and made faces.

"That's _disgusting_, Sora." Kai said, wrinkling his nose. "He's your _brother_. I could understand if you guys were... you know... but inbreeding?"

Rei looked like he was going to be sick. "I need some air."

Riku and Sora watched as the little boy scrambled up the stairs and winced as they heard a door slam.

Sora looked down. "Okay, okay, I confess. Riku's not my brother. He's my... my..."

"Rampant sex slave—Oww." Riku glared, sitting down and rubbing the toes Sora had just stomped on.

"They're _nine_, Riku," Sora hissed before plastering on a smile as he looked back at Kai. "He's my boyfriend."

Kai looked at them pensively. "So, you're not brothers?"

"No..."

"You're just gay?"

"Yeah..."

"Oh." There was silence for a moment. Then Kai pointed at himself. "Do you think I'm hot?"

Riku hid his laughter behind a cough while Sora turned an interesting red color and started sputtering.

Rei appeared at the top of the stairs. "You're not hot, bonehead! Sora thinks _I'm_ hot! Right, Sora?"

"Nuh uh. Nobody would want to be gay with you, snotrag."

Sora rubbed his temples. "I seriously need some Tylenol."

-

"99 bottles of beer on th' wall! 99 bottles of beeeeer!"

Tidus followed the sound of the slurred voice and found Selphie sitting in a corner, cradling a bottle of Corona and singing at the top of her lungs. He stared at her. "Selphie... how much did you have to drink?"

"Weren't cha listenin'? 99 bottles of beer on th' wall..."

The blond blinked. "...where's Irvine?"

"Who?" Selphie asked blankly, wobbling slightly as she pushed herself to her feet. "Oh, ya mean Hunky Irvy Wervy. Mmm, last I saw him, he was on a table making lotsa money." She leaned heavily on his shoulder and gave him a drunken, yet somehow seductive, look. "Lots and lotsa money."

"I see." Tidus replied, wrapping one arm around Selphie's shoulder to keep her from tipping over. He nearly yelped as he felt a warm tongue tracing the shell of his ear.

Selphie grinned mischievously. "Betcha I could make lots of money, too, isn't that right, Hansel?"

"Um. Sure. But, um. I think I'm just going to—stop that!" Tidus clapped a hand to his ear and sighed, picking Selphie up bridal style. "I'm going to take you home."

"Be gentle with me, mister. It's my first time." She murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hope I don't get pregnant. And I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate hearing about this so let's keep it on the DL."

Tidus glanced behind him at the aforementioned boyfriend, who was busy undoing his belt and waving it over his head like a lasso. Oh yeah. Totally drunk. "Somehow, I don't think Irvine would mind very much."

"Not _him_!" Selphie said, whacking him on the shoulder. "Tidy! I think he really loves me, you know. We're gonna get married and have two kids." She held up four fingers. "Rinako and Jin."

"...right..."

Selphie narrowed her eyes. "What, you don't believe me?"

"Of course I do. But, for now, let's just go home, okay? You need some rest and maybe some hangover medicine." Tidus told her, making his way through the crowds and searching around for Kairi. He didn't think he could really stand to be alone with Selphie, especially when she was under the incredibly mistaken impression that he was taking her home to fuck her.

"_There_ you are!" Rikku cried, running up to him. "I've been looking all over for you! Selphie's…" she trailed off as she saw what he was carrying. "Oh, I guess you know then."

"Yeah," Tidus said, tilting his head away from Selphie as she tried to lick his ear again. "I need to take her home. Where's Kairi?"

Rikku blinked. "Um, she left. To go somewhere. That isn't here."

"Dammit." Tidus sighed in irritation before glancing at Rikku and giving her a hopeful look. "Come with me?"

"And leave my own party?" She asked incredulously. "That seems a bit impolite. And stupid considering there's some guy stripping on my good table."

"Yeah, but she thinks she's a prostitute and I'm taking her home to have sex with her. Do you really want to leave us alone?" Tidus persuaded. "Besides, Yuna's more than capable of watching the party. I'm just sorry I'll have to cut the date short."

"Muffins," Selphie butted insistently into the conversation as though she were trying to tell them the meaning of life. "Are really, really tasty!"

Rikku made a face. "Okay, let me just tell Yunie and then we'll go. Geez, I seriously need to hide the booze better."

"Yeah…" Tidus agreed uncomfortably. "…heh heh…"

Selphie broke into a rendition of the Ghostbusters theme song as Rikku disappeared into the crowd again and Tidus sighed, falling down on the couch and ignoring the couple that was dry humping beside him. Selphie, however, seemed unable to do the same and, before Tidus could stop her, she'd leaned over and was going about trying to push them apart.

"This is a community playground and I'll thank you not to start canoodling in front of the children!" She reprimanded. When her attempts to separate them proved fruitless, she began hitting the guy on the shoulder. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Stop ignoring me!"

Sighing, Tidus pulled her back into his lap and grabbed her flailing hands. "Selphie, stop it. Leave them alone. If they want to procreate on Rikku's couch, then that's their business."

Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, Rikku. I can't stand her. She's such a total apple pie bitch."

"Mhmm."

"Can we get apple pie? I'm hungry. And my toe itches."

"That's nice."

"Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidus."

"Tidus." He had never been more relieved to see Rikku in his entire life. He shifted Selphie comfortably around his arms and stood up, ignoring her whining.

"Are you ready? Please?"

Rikku giggled. "Let's go."

-

Kairi bit her lip as she stared at the Iieshiro's door, trying to work up the courage to knock. She was entirely soaked from the rain, so going back to the party was no longer an option. Yet, she couldn't seem to alert her presence to the boy she'd been best friends with for years.

It wasn't like Sora was particularly scary. Actually, he was about as terrifying as cake mix, to be perfectly honest. But thinking about begging for Sora's forgiveness and actually doing it were two completely different things. The way things were going, she could very well end up standing out in the rain all night, trying to knock.

And then the door swung open and took care of her problem.

Sora raised an eyebrow at her, one hand on his hip. "I've been watching you stand out here for twenty minutes. Were you going to knock? Ever?"

"Why didn't you open the door sooner, dorkus?" Kairi retorted as she stepped into the house, pushing her wet hair back. "I'm drenched."

"I thought it was funny," Sora replied, closing the door. "Stay right here. I'll go get you a towel and, uh… well, okay, I don't have a change of clothes, but I'll see about getting Riku to take his shirt off and you can wear that."

"But—" Kairi began, then just let it go and nodded miserably as Sora ran off.

Well, so far so good. She was in and they hadn't torn each other a new one yet. That was a definite improvement in her opinion. She couldn't help but wonder where Riku was, though, and whether the Iieshiro twins knew just how close Riku and Sora really were.

Before she could ponder it further, a fluffy blue towel had been thrown at her. Kairi pulled it off her head and gave Sora a dry look.

"Sorry, but you looked like you were going to break something thinking so hard," Sora said in amusement. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Um—"

"Hey, Sora, did she come in ye… oh, hi, Kairi," Riku greeted as he noticed her dripping in the hallway. Kairi would have returned the greeting had she not been fascinated by the braid in Riku's hair.

"Did you… there's a… heehee…" She ducked her head, not wanting to start out this conversation by making fun of Sora's boyfriend, but _really_. A braid? "Um… heeheehee…"

Sora stared at her for a moment, then, unexpectedly, he, too, started laughing. "It's the braid, isn't it?" He managed before dissolving in a fit of giggles.

"It's not—it's just—heeheehee!" Kairi choked out, covering her mouth with her hands.

Riku glared at them without any real enthusiasm, which only served to make the two laugh harder.

And, just like that, things were good between them again. No apology required.

"When you two are done being idiots, Rei and Kai have set up the Playstation 2 and you can watch me kick their scrawny butts at _Tekken 3_." Riku said good-naturedly, kissing Sora on the forehead and giving Kairi a knowing smile.

She smiled back.

"We'll be there in a minute," Sora replied, his cheeks pink. He waited until Riku had disappeared into the living room again, then turned back to Kairi.

She felt an unexpected rush of fear. What if things _weren't_ good between them? What if Sora was going to kick her out? God, what if—

"So, do you really want Riku's shirt or are you going to play _Tekken _in those wet clothes?" Sora asked with a bright smile.

Relieved, Kairi put a finger to her lip and pretended to consider it. "I don't know. On the one hand, I could keep the shirt and sell it on ebay. But, on the other hand, it probably wouldn't sell for very much since it would smell like me and not him."

"So, yes?" Sora translated.

"So yes." Kairi confirmed.

He smiled again, then stepped forward and hugged her, wet clothes and all. Kairi hugged him back, trying to keep from grinning like an idiot. It wasn't working very well.

"I missed you, you crazy little girl."

"Who are you calling _little_?" Kairi asked as they separated, an amused look on her face. "I'm five foot _two_. Have you even hit five feet yet?"

"WHAT'S THAT RIKU?" Sora called loudly. "YOU WANT US TO COME PLAY RIGHT NOW AND STOP TALKING ABOUT HEIGHT? OKAY, WE'RE COMING!" He grinned cheekily. "You heard Riku. Stop talking about height and let's go."

Kairi shook her head. Sora was still the same Sora. Thank goodness.

She smirked. "Yes, let's go and whoop your ass."

Sora smirked back. "You wish."

-

**Next time:** Riku has to make his decision once and for all, Selphie and Rikku bury the hatchet, and Yuffie is a ninja. Who knew?


End file.
